ORNL and Idaho National Laboratory are collaborating to advance wire arc 3D printing of large pressure vessels and strengthen the domestic nuclear manufacturing supply chain. The labs will combine advanced manufacturing, AI and data science to accelerate the production and qualification of critical nuclear components.
ORNL and KVA Stainless completed a DOE-funded study validating the performance of welded Grade 91 steel for use in high-temperature energy systems. The results will help KVA refine its advanced welding technology and support the development of durable materials for future fission and fusion reactors.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is advancing nuclear battery technology to provide reliable, long-lasting power for remote and extreme environments, from deep space to national security applications. ORNL researchers are exploring new radioisotope fuels, more efficient energy conversion, improved thermal management and advanced manufacturing to make nuclear batteries safer, more efficient and easier to deploy.
ORNL researchers found that lipid bilayers, the basic structure of cell membranes, can exhibit electrical behaviors associated with learning and memory. The discovery could advance brain-inspired computing technologies and provide new insights into neurological disorders.
Scientific Achievement: Established new family of magnetically tunable, cleavable kagome metals by combining chemical substitution, electron filling, and magnetic properties to develop new intermetallic phases.Significance and Impact: Introduces a new synthetic strategy for stabilizing and tuning complex quantum materials, opening new routes to discover Kagome metals with controllable magnetic and electronic properties.DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6c06163
Researchers at ORNL and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have made a scientific advance by using a natural substance from fungi, called chitin, to create hydrogels that are both significantly stronger and tougher. This new material could lead to safer medical devices, longer-lasting coatings and other innovations that improve everyday technology and health care.
Researchers at ORNL and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, demonstrated an AI-driven workflow that guided data collection in real time during a beamline experiment at Cornell University's CHESS facility. The approach allowed the AI to adjust measurements as data was collected, advancing autonomous scientific research and supporting DOE's Genesis Mission.
Rigoberto "Gobet" Advincula, a Governor's Chair Professor jointly appointed at ORNL and the University of Tennessee, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Chemical Society's Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Laboratory of the Rockies have launched the ACCENT Center, a national hub to accelerate the development of advanced cement and concrete materials and strengthen the U.S. supply chain. The center combines testing, AI-driven modeling, data resources, and pilot-scale production to speed innovation and support infrastructure, housing, and industrial competitiveness.
Scientific Achievement: Phase-field modeling and mesoscale imaging reveal that surface wettability and temperature control whether water condenses as isolated droplets or uniform films on magnesium oxide (MgO), directly determining the texture of the resulting hydroxide precipitates.Significance and Impact: Understanding water-driven reaction mechanisms is critical for optimizing MgO's performance in energy applications, for example in microelectronics.DOI: 10.1039/d6ce00207b
Six entrepreneurs have been selected for the next cohort of Innovation Crossroads, a Department of Energy Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program node based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The program provides energy-related startup founders from across the nation with access to ORNL’s researchers, facilities and technical expertise, as well as connect them with experts, mentors and networks to accelerate their efforts to take their promising ideas to the marketplace.
The Neutron Scattering Society of America (NSSA) has awarded the 2026 Clifford G. Shull Prize to Takeshi Egami, a UT-ORNL distinguished scientist and professor at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Created in memory of the Nobel-Prize winning physicist, the Shull Prize recognizes outstanding research in