Recent News & Features

News Release

ORNL researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 22, 2012 — Knowing the position of missing oxygen atoms could be the key to cheaper solid oxide fuel cells with longer lifetimes. New microscopy research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is enabling scientists to map these vacancies at an atomic scale.

ORNL technology moves scientists closer to extracting uranium from seawater
OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Aug. 21, 2012 — Fueling nuclear reactors with uranium harvested from the ocean could become more feasible because of a material developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

ORNL lands transportation materials awards
WASHINGTON, DC, Aug. 13, 2012 — ORNL has received two of seven awards announced Monday by DOE aimed at the development of lighter, stronger materials for greater vehicle fuel economy in the next generation of U.S.-made cars and trucks. The awards include $3.5 million to ORNL to fund a project for the "development and implementation of cost-effective and improved cast aluminum alloys that would enable the design of higher efficiency light-duty passenger vehicle engines." ORNL will work with the automaker Chrysler. The Materials S&T Division's Allen Haynes is the project manager, the lead researcher is MSTD's Amit Shyam.

Mars 'Curiosity' has ORNL tech
Key components of probe's Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator produced at ORNL.
Aug. 6, 2012 — Editor's note: With the successful landing of the Mars Curiosity probe, we are reprising and updating from last November this feature on ORNL's role in the U.S. space exploration mission.