U.S. Department of Energy Research News

Public Release: 30-Nov-2012
ORNL develops lignin-based thermoplastic conversion process
Turning lignin, a plant's structural "glue" and a byproduct of the paper and pulp industry, into something considerably more valuable is driving a research effort headed by Amit Naskar of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Public Release: 16-Nov-2012

Advanced Materials
ORNL recipe for oxide interface perfection opens path to novel materials
By tweaking the formula for growing oxide thin films, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory achieved virtual perfection at the interface of two insulator materials.

Public Release: 15-Nov-2012

Physical Review Letters
ORNL pushes the boundaries of electron microscopy to unlock the potential of graphene
Electron microscopy at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing unprecedented views of the individual atoms in graphene, offering scientists a chance to unlock the material's full potential for uses from engine combustion to consumer electronics.

Public Release: 14-Nov-2012
Titan is also a green powerhouse
Not only is Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Titan the world's most powerful supercomputer, it is also one of the most energy efficient.

Public Release: 12-Nov-2012

Advanced Functional Materials
'Strain tuning' reveals promise in nanoscale manufacturing
ORNL researcher combined theoretical and experimental studies to understand and control the self-assembly of insulating barium zirconium oxide nanodots and nanorods within barium-copper-oxide superconducting films.

Public Release: 5-Nov-2012
November 2012 story tips
Scientists have found that rising levels of ozone may amplify the impacts of higher temperatures and reduce streamflow from forests to rivers, streams and other water bodies. Recommendations to accelerate climate modeling to learn more about climate's regional ramifications and future effects. Research project to continue, providing additional data that could make houses of tomorrow even better. Ethanol blends of 10 to 25 percent could potentially have more fuel pump compatibility issues than higher blends.

Public Release: 29-Oct-2012
ORNL debuts Titan supercomputer
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a new era of scientific supercomputing today with Titan, a system capable of churning through more than 20,000 trillion calculations each second--or 20 petaflops--by employing a family of processors called graphic processing units first created for computer gaming. Titan will be 10 times more powerful than ORNL's last world-leading system, Jaguar.

Public Release: 23-Oct-2012
Neutron experiments give unprecedented look at quantum oscillations
Researchers at ORNL have found that nitrogen atoms in the compound uranium nitride exhibit unexpected, distinct vibrations that form a nearly ideal realization of a physics textbook model known as the isotropic quantum harmonic oscillator.

Public Release: 17-Oct-2012
ORNL study confirms magnetic properties of silicon nano-ribbons
Nano-ribbons of silicon configured so the atoms resemble chicken wire could hold the key to ultrahigh density data storage and information processing systems of the future.

Public Release: 4-Oct-2012
Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 2012
These are story ideas from recent research from the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Public Release: 20-Sep-2012

Nano Letters
ORNL research uncovers path to defect-free thin films
A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Ho Nyung Lee has discovered a strain relaxation phenomenon in cobaltites that has eluded researchers for decades and may lead to advances in fuel cells, magnetic sensors and a host of energy-related materials.

Public Release: 10-Sep-2012
ORNL roof and attic design proves efficient in summer and winter
A new kind of roof-and-attic system field-tested at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory keeps homes cool in summer and prevents heat loss in winter, a multi-seasonal efficiency uncommon in roof and attic design.

Public Release: 6-Sep-2012
September 2012 story tips
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oklahoma's ClimateMaster Inc. have collaborated to develop a ground source heat pump that can reduce a homeowner's electric bill by up to 60 percent. Owners of electric cars could kiss that cumbersome cord goodbye without losing efficiency because of a proprietary technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Public Release: 6-Sep-2012
ORNL's newly licensed neutron detector will advance human disease research
A neutron detector developed for studies focused on life science, drug discovery and materials technology has been licensed by PartTec Ltd. The Indiana-based manufacturer of radiation detection technologies is moving the technology developed at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory toward the commercial marketplace.

Public Release: 27-Aug-2012
Oak Ridge partnership merges strengths of lab, private sector
An Oak Ridge engineering services firm with an international footprint has teamed with scientists to form a subsidiary and market an award-winning text analysis system. The technology has been used to find and arrest child predators and to uncover illicit activities.

Public Release: 22-Aug-2012

Nature Materials
ORNL researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials
Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale.

Public Release: 21-Aug-2012

American Chemical Society's 244th National Meeting & Exposition
ORNL technology moves scientists closer to extracting uranium from seawater
Fueling nuclear reactors with uranium harvested from the ocean could become more feasible because of a material developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Public Release: 16-Aug-2012

Ecological Applications
ORNL researchers improve soil carbon cycling models
A new carbon cycling model developed at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory better accounts for the carbon dioxide-releasing activity of microbes in the ground, improving scientists' understanding of the role soil will play in future climate change.