Feature Articles

To explore the inner workings of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a novel technique.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory used polymer chemistry to transform a common household plastic into a reusable adhesive with a rare combination of strength and ductility, making it one of the toughest materials ever reported.

Energy and sustainability experts from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, industry, universities and the federal government recently identified key focus areas to meet the challenge of successfully decarbonizing the agriculture sector, as well as scientific resources that the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratories can bring to the table.

Neuromorphic devices — which emulate the decision-making processes of the human brain — show great promise for solving pressing scientific problems, but building physical systems to realize this potential presents researchers with a significant challenge. An international team has gained additional insights into a material compound called vanadium oxide, or VO2, that might be the missing ingredient needed to complete a reliable neuromorphic recipe.

A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology is using supercomputing and revolutionary deep learning tools to predict the structures and roles of thousands of proteins with unknown functions.

In October, a scientist whose research was supported by modeling and simulation efforts on supercomputers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021.

A team used the Summit supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to model plasma turbulence in a nuclear fusion device to capture energy loss in fusion plasmas. The team’s simulations will help inform the design of next-generation tokamaks like ITER with optimum confinement properties.

This feature provides an overview of the science behind the discovery of superheavy elements and outlines ORNL's crucial role in supplying actinide target materials.

With multiple clinical trials under way, it’s likely both a drug using Ac-225 and increased demand for the radioisotope are in the near future — and the U.S. Department of Energy wants to be ready. Since 2015, DOE’s Isotope Program has sponsored the Tri-Lab Effort to Provide Accelerator-produced Ac-225 for Radiotherapy. Thorium-232 targets are irradiated in proton accelerators at Los Alamos and Brookhaven national laboratories, then sent to ORNL for processing in hot cells dedicated to alpha radiation. The purpose: producing bigger batches, faster. In June, ORNL processed the largest batch of Ac-225 ever put in inventory.

A team of collaborators from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Google Inc., Snowflake Inc. and Ververica GmbH has tested a computing concept that could help speed up real-time processing of data that stream on mobile and other electronic devices.