Breakthroughs and Award Winners from the last 2 decades…

Capillary Electrophoresis
Ames Laboratory
This technology allows multiple samples of substances to be analyzed simultaneously, providing both speed and accuracy. Has won multiple R&D 100 awards for inventor Ed Yeung and has been licensed by Spectromedix. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,324,401 and 5,582,705.

Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD)
Argonne National Laboratory
Greatly surpasses other diamond film technologies with commercial potential, and can be used in a broad and diverse range of applications from macro to nanodevices, 2006 FLC Award Winner.  U.S. Patent Nos. 5,620,512 and others.

T7 Gene Expression System
Brookhaven National Laboratory
This patent family has been licensed to over 700 commercial entities throughout the world for use in their in-house research and for the manufacture and sale of recombinant proteins. The technology enables the simple manufacture of active T7 and T7-like RNA polymerase enzymes. Products made using these materials and methods are sold for use in research and for use in various therapeutic applications.  2004 R&D 100 Award Winner. U.S. Patent Nos. 4,952,496 and others.

Neutron Sensitive Plastic Scintillator
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Allows production of plastic scintillating material with increased neutron sensitivity. This can be done cheaply and can be scaled to large quantity. U.S. Patent Nos. 6,927,937 and 5,968,425.

Quantum Dots
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Quantum dot nanocrystals are now used to study biological events in vivo. Berkeley Lab’s technology provides much more efficient and sensitive techniques for the imaging of living cells than conventional dye conjugates. Quantum Dot Corp., a start-up company, licensed Berkeley Lab’s semiconductor nanocrystal technology and received numerous awards for its biomolecular detection products. Quantum Dot Corp. was acquired by Invitrogen Corporation in 2005. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,505,928 and others.

Artificial Retina
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
An artificial retina that could restore vision to millions of people blinded by eye disease is the goal of a collaborative research project between five DOE national laboratories, three universities and Second Sight Medical Products Inc. of Sylmar, CA. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,620,512 and others.

Laser Peening
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Revolutionary for the commercial aircraft industry, enables engineers to design turbine parts that last longer, reduce maintenance costs, and save hundreds of millions of dollars. LLNL's Laser Science and Technology Division and the Metal Improvement Company of Paramus, NJ have won four prestigious R&D-100 awards.  U.S. Patent Nos. 5,239,408 and others.

SOLVE
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Creates three-dimensional images of protein molecules, helps organizations and firms in the biotechnology and health care fields design new drugs and engineer new enzymes for commercial use. Today SOLVE (and it successor RESOLVE) has been licensed to more than 600 government agencies, contractors, educational and nonprofit institutions, and over 30 companies for commercial purposes. U.S. Patent Nos. 6,721,664 and others.

BMCI
Los Alamos National Laboratory
This invention has been licensed and the resulting commercial product, BMC 940, is an electrically conductive graphitized vinyl ester material that compression molds into bipolar plates. In addition to its use in fuel cells, conductive derivatives of the product may see future use in semiconductor chip processing trays and circuit board racks. U.S. Patent No. 6,248,467.

Use of Phosphates to Reduce Slag Penetration in Cr2O3-based Refractories
National Energy Technology Laboratory
A high-chromium refractory material that provides improved resistance to coal slag penetration and reduces the rate of coal slag penetration into the surface of the cured refractory. U.S. Patent No. 6,815,386.

Solid Sorbents for Removal of Carbon Dioxide from Gas Streams at Low Temperatures
National Energy Technology Laboratory
New low-cost CO2 sorbents are provided that can be used in large-scale gas-solid processes. Eliminates the need for high surface area supports and polymeric materials for the preparation of CO2 capture systems, and provides sorbents with absorption capabilities that are independent of the sorbents' surface areas. U.S. Patent No. 6,908,497.

Super-efficient Solar Cells
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The scientists pioneered the multi-junction solar cell, which uses layers of semiconductor material to gain extremely high efficiencies in converting sunlight to electricity. A cell based on this design and manufactured by Spectrolab recently set a world-record conversion efficiency of 40 percent. U.S. Patent Nos. 4,667,059 and 5,223,043.

Microfluidic Device and Method for Focusing, Segmenting, and Dispensing of a Fluid Stream
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This microfluidic device technology is licensed to Caliper Life Sciences, a company that uses advanced fluid handling and lab-on-a-chip technology to advance research in drug discovery and disease diagnosis. U.S. Patent No. 6,790,328.

Structures Having Enhanced Biaxial Texture and Method of Fabricating Same
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
This portfolio enables production of second-generation high temperature superconducting materials for electrical power transmission and other applications, and has been licensed to multiple commercial partners who are selling products in the world marketplace based on this technology. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,739,086 and others.

Pitch-Based Carbon Foams and Composites; Graphite Foam
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Carbon foams produced by this method are lightweight and have an extraordinarily high heat conductance capacity. They are useful as heat sinks, radiators, and in structural/acoustic applications. This technology has been licensed to multiple commercial partners who are selling products based on this technology. U.S. Patent Nos. 6,033,506 and others.

Cooled, Optically Stimulated Luminescence (COSL)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
This technology measures radiation in dosimeters and other thermoluminescent materials. Each year more than one million radiation workers (doctors, nurses, veterinarians, nuclear workers, etc.) are monitored for radiation exposure using this technology. 1992 R&D 100 Award.  U.S. Patent Nos. 4,954,727 and others.

Miniature Integrated Nuclear Detection System, called MINDS
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Can be used to scan moving vehicles, luggage, cargo vessels, and the like for specific nuclear signatures associated with materials employed in radiological weapons. MINDS can employed at workplace entrances, post offices, tollbooths, airports, commercial shipping ports, as well as in police cruisers, to detect the transportation of unauthorized nuclear materials.  U.S. Patent No. 7,244,948.

On-chip Failure Analysis Techniques
Sandia National Laboratories
Enables the semiconductor chip industry to realize substantial cost savings in IC manufacture, estimated in millions. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,430,305 and 5,523,694.

Vertical Flow Chemical Detection Portal
Sandia National Laboratories
Allows detection of traces of contraband such as explosives material on persons’ clothing and personal effects.  Uses include passenger screening in airports and other circumstances where large numbers of people need to be screened for threats quickly, such as customs, military bases, correctional facilities and public events. U.S. Patent No. 5,915,268.

Passive Treatment of Wastewater and Contaminated Groundwater
Savannah River National Laboratory
Bioremediation technique to remediate wastewater and groundwater contaminated with mine drainage, nitrates/nitrites, redox sensitive metals and radionuclides, and chlorinated solvents.  The passive technique, which was patented in 2006, is long lasting, requires infrequent attention, is stable and requires intermittent addition of inexpensive, readily available, easy to handle biochemical energy sources. U.S. Patent No. 7,147,779.