NEWS RELEASES

Soil is one of Earth’s largest carbon sinks, second to the ocean. New study discovers a key iron mineral in soil has a nanoscale mosaic of positive and negative charges. Varied charges, hydrogen bonding and strong chemical bonds enable mineral to trap carbon. Findings help explain why some carbon is locked in soils for centuries.

A team of engineers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed ways to rapidly evaluate new thermal protection materials for hypersonic vehicles. Their three-year research project combined computer modeling, laboratory experiments and flight testing to better understand how heat shields behave under extreme temperatures and pressures, and to predict their performance much faster than before.

To meet ambitious U.S. Department of Energy targets for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), production of purpose-grown energy crops must ramp up significantly. Although researchers have made substantial progress in understanding the management and conversion of these crops, key knowledge gaps hold the industry back. Now, two new studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign help fill in the blanks for Miscanthus and switchgrass management. 

Princeton researchers have developed a diamond-based quantum sensor that reveals rich new information about magnetic phenomena in spaces smaller than a wavelength of light. Their new technique uncovers magnetic fluctuations beyond the reach of existing instruments and provides key insight into quantum materials such as graphene and superconductors — opening a new way to study condensed matter physics.

Chemist Bruce Moyer, a Corporate Fellow at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has won the 2025 Carl Hanson Award, the highest international recognition for achievement in solvent extraction. The International Solvent Extraction Community bestows the medal every three years based on nominations from the global community.

For more than 60 years, the High Flux Isotope Reactor has produced neutron beams for the benefit of society, creating real-world impacts that span energy security, quantum computing, healthcare, national defense and advanced materials. 

Veterans of the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program are bringing their expertise to the Department of Energy’s High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, applying the same precision and discipline that powers the Navy’s fleets to America’s science, energy and security missions.