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In a bold step toward transforming how nuclear infrastructure is built, the Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in partnership with Kairos Power and Barnard Construction, has successfully developed and validated large-scale, 3D-printed polymer composite forms for casting complex, high-precision concrete structures that would be technically challenging and costly to produce using conventional methods. 

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have successfully 3D printed steel capsules that withstood rigorous testing inside a nuclear reactor — a first-of-its-kind achievement. Using advanced manufacturing techniques and AI-driven design, the team produced capsules that maintained integrity under irradiation. This breakthrough shortens the timeline for developing and qualifying new materials for nuclear energy, accelerating innovation and strengthening energy security.

The 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort brings together six entrepreneurs who will collaborate with ORNL to accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and regional economic growth. 

A team of researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has published a new study in the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journal Chemical Science that shows how using the “standard” 2 (or more) femtosecond time step — the time interval at which computer simulations are analyzed — can lead to errors in molecular dynamics simulations involving water.

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and JuggerBot 3D, an industrial 3D printer equipment manufacturer, have launched their second research and development collaboration through the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, Technical Collaboration Program.

United Rare Earths has licensed two innovative technologies from Oak Ridge National Laboratory aimed at reducing dependence on critical rare earth elements. These technologies support the creation of high-performance magnets engineered to use significantly less rare earth content.

Strengthening the competitiveness of the American transportation industry relies on developing domestically produced electric vehicle batteries that enable rapid charging and long-range performance. By integrating a new type of current collector, which is a key battery component, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated how to manufacture a battery with both superior energy density and a lasting ability to handle extreme fast charging. This enables restoring at least 80% of battery energy in 10 minutes.

Scientists have developed a new machine learning approach that accurately predicted critical and difficult-to-compute properties of molten salts, materials with diverse nuclear energy applications. 

Stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum, carbon fiber is a staple in aerospace and high-performance vehicles — and now, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have found a way to make it even stronger. Using the Frontier supercomputer, they simulated 5 million atoms to study a novel process for making carbon fiber composites stronger and more cost efficient by incorporating a reinforced layer of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers, or PAN fibers. The research could lead to new ultra-durable materials for airplanes, electric vehicles, and a wide range of manufacturing applications that require stronger, more lightweight materials.