Feature Stories

Permanent bunkers and high-security facilities are standard tools for protecting the nation’s most sensitive assets. But in many environments, these options are not available where secure storage is needed most. To meet that challenge, a team at Sandia National Laboratories has developed a mobile, high-security vault that can be rapidly deployed to safeguard critical materials in remote or temporary locations.

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 Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is the hub of collaboration among Western states to advance nuclear energy. This effort, anchored in legislative frameworks, strategic investments, collaborations and partnerships, is positioning the region as a leader in nuclear innovation.

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.

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.

In today’s hyperconnected world, wireless communication faces a critical challenge known as the “spectrum crunch.” Spectrum crunch results from more devices vying for limited frequencies, creating an overcrowded radio frequency spectrum — a bottleneck that disrupts communication. Spectrum crunch threatens not only everyday conveniences like cellphone connectivity but also essential services, such as emergency response times, global positioning systems and military operations.

Father and son entrepreneurs Mehul and Milan Shah have patented a new nuclear fuel design that could reduce nuclear waste, enhance safety and lower costs for today’s pressurized heavy water reactors.

As the focus on energy resiliency and competitiveness increases, the development of advanced materials for next-generation, commercial fusion reactors is gaining attention. A recent paper examines a promising candidate for these reactors: ultra-high-temperature ceramics, or UHTCs.

Recent advancements at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory show that 3D-printed metal molds offer a faster, more cost-effective and flexible approach to producing large composite components for mass-produced vehicles than traditional tooling methods.

 

The research, conducted at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, at ORNL, confirms that large-scale additive manufacturing is well-suited for creating complex metal molds, with efficiencies that could accelerate the adoption of lightweight composite materials in the automotive sector.

 

Scientists at ORNL have developed a first-ever method of detecting ribonucleic acid, or RNA, inside plant cells using a technique that results in a visible fluorescent signal. The technology can help researchers detect and track changes in RNA and gene expression in real time, providing a powerful tool for the development of hardier bioenergy and food crops and for detection of unwanted plant modifications, pathogens and pests.