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Researchers from ORNL's Neutron Sciences Directorate are conducting a series of experiments to better understand how resistant bacteria use enzymes called beta-lactamases to break down the beta-lactam class of antibiotics.

Having the right tool for the job enabled scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their collaborators to discover that a workhorse catalyst of vehicle exhaust systems -- an 'oxygen sponge' that can soak up oxygen from air and store it for later use in oxidation reactions -- may also be a 'hydrogen sponge.' The finding may pave the way for the design of more effective catalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions.

Massive offshore structures like oil rigs and wind turbines are designed to withstand the myriad punishments oceans tend to mete out. However, over time, just the saltwater itself can significantly decrease the durability of a structure's welds. That's why researchers are using neutron analysis at ORNL's HFIR to validate a more advanced method of welding involving high-power lasers.

Paige Kelley, a postdoctoral researcher with a joint appointment at the University of Tennessee and the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is using neutrons to study specific crystal properties that could lead to the realization of a quantum spin liquid, a novel state of matter that may form the basis of future quantum computing technologies.