Oak Ridge National Laboratory News - SciTechDaily

NASA’s New Power Play: Plutonium-238 for Distant Space Journeys

NASA — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 18:18:49 +0000

The DOE’s shipment of 0.5 kilograms of plutonium-238 to Los Alamos National Laboratory marks a milestone in producing fuel for NASA’s radioisotope power systems, crucial...

Triangular Triumph: Unraveling the Mystery of Quantum Spin Liquids After 50 Years

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:29:58 +0000

A collaborative research team has confirmed quantum spin liquid behavior in the material KYbSe2, validating a decades-old hypothesis. This breakthrough, significant for quantum computing and...

Revolutionizing CRISPR: Quantum Biology and AI Merge to Enhance Genome Editing

Stephanie Seay, Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sat, 11 Nov 2023 12:57:29 +0000

Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s research in quantum biology and AI has significantly improved the efficiency of CRISPR Cas9 genome editing in microbes, aiding in renewable...

The Future of Nuclear Reactors: Deciphering Electron Behavior in Molten Salts

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 22:17:27 +0000

Scientists reveal three unique electron states in molten salts, a crucial discovery for future salt-fueled nuclear reactors’ radiation impacts. In a finding that helps elucidate...

New Technology Transforms Traditionally Unrecyclable Plastics Into Useful Chemicals

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 02:13:41 +0000

Mixed plastics can be transformed into useful chemicals. Nearly 80% of plastic waste ultimately finds its way to landfills or lingers in the environment. Scientists...

Hafnium Oxide: Unraveling the Secrets of Next-Gen Semiconductors

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sun, 17 Sep 2023 23:19:51 +0000

Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory studied hafnia’s potential in semiconductor applications, revealing its behavior can be influenced by the surrounding atmosphere. Their findings...

Life in Boiling Waters: A Global Microbial Connection

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 21:48:23 +0000

Scientists find evolutionary clues while examining microbes in far-flung hot springs. Scientists found similar microbial adaptations in hot springs across the US, Iceland, and Japan,...

Pushing the Boundaries of Fast Charging: New Lithium-Ion Battery Material Can Recharge 80% in 10 Minutes

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 04:22:46 +0000

Electric vehicles (EVs) have revolutionized the automotive industry, promising a sustainable future with reduced carbon emissions. As they surge in popularity, one of the primary...

Quantum Breakthrough: Scientists Develop New Way To Manipulate Exotic Materials

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 05:12:03 +0000

The findings could revolutionize electronics and quantum computing. A breakthrough in a topological insulator material, which possesses insulating properties internally but conductive properties on the...

Quantum Curveball: Established Theory Challenged by Surprising Atomic Nucleus Shape Change

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sun, 20 Aug 2023 16:29:42 +0000

New Oak Ridge National Laboratory study reveals an unforeseen atomic nucleus shape change, using data from FRIB to explore the long-lasting excited state of sodium-32,...

Wildlife Crossing Guards: Achieving Ecological Connectivity on a Budget

Stephanie Seay, Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 18:36:36 +0000

Modeling Healthier Habitats on Managed Lands Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers developed a model framework that identifies ways to ensure wildlife can safely navigate their...

New Molecule Shows Promise in Slowing COVID

SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 09:38:18 +0000

A molecule equipped with hooks that can grip and disable the virus’s pesky protease demonstrates promising potential in combatting infections. Scientists have engineered a molecule...

Igniting Performance: Small Tweak Doubles Charging Speeds in Solid-State Batteries

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 22:51:34 +0000

Small Change Brings Big Gain in Performance for Solid-State Battery Electrolyte Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have doubled the charging speed of solid-state batteries...

Elemental Alchemy: How Scientists Replicated the Nuclear Magic of Neutron Stars

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 24 May 2023 19:29:54 +0000

Scientists led by Kelly Chipps of the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have successfully replicated a nuclear reaction that occurs on the surface...

Exascale Astrophysics: Simulating a More Detailed Universe With Frontier Supercomputer

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Tue, 16 May 2023 09:56:47 +0000

Cholla, HACC, and Parthenon are ready to launch the exascale era of computational astrophysics. A trio of new and improved cosmological simulation codes was unveiled...

Tug-of-War Strategy Supercharges Chemical Separations

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 12:50:46 +0000

The lanthanide metals, with uses spanning from magnets and catalysts to cancer therapies, are unique resources. Ensuring their future accessibility depends on developing improved methods...

DOE Researchers Show How Window Shades Provide Up to 24% Heating Energy Savings

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:54:28 +0000

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) demonstrated that window shades with a cellular or honeycomb structure provide higher energy savings during...

Affordable Device Makes Home Furnaces Cleaner, Safer and Longer-Lasting

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 16:44:12 +0000

Natural gas furnaces not only heat your home, but they also produce a significant amount of pollution. Even modern high-efficiency condensing furnaces produce significant amounts...

Aging EV Car Batteries Given New Life to Power Up Electric Grid

Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:32:48 +0000

When aging vehicle batteries lack the juice to power your car anymore, they may still hold energy. Yet it’s tough to find new uses for...

A Universal Vaccine? New Computer Model of Flu Virus Shows Promise

University of California - San Diego — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 03:52:32 +0000

The dynamic movement of H1N1 proteins exposes previously unknown vulnerabilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that there are approximately 1 billion cases of influenza...

New Measurements Provide a Glimpse of the Quantum Future

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 20:19:51 +0000

A multi-institutional team has created an efficient method for measuring high-dimensional qudits encoded in quantum frequency combs, a kind of photon source, on a single...

Scientists Uncover Remarkable Atomic Behavior in Thermoelectric Materials

US Department of Energy — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 22:24:58 +0000

Revealing the atomic mechanism behind thermoelectric heat transport. The Science Thermoelectric devices turn thermal energy into electricity by creating a voltage from the temperature differential...

Quantum Fisher Information: Spilling the Secrets of Quantum Entanglement

US Department of Energy — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 07:37:43 +0000

Because of quantum physics, quantum materials behave in surprising ways. For instance, they can be superconductors, which can allow electricity to flow with no resistance....

Our Immune System Is No Match – Coronavirus Protein Caught Severing Critical Immunity Pathway

DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 03:52:31 +0000

Powerful X-rays from the SLAC synchrotron show that the fundamental wiring of our immune system seems to be no match for the vicious SARS-CoV-2 protein....