Quantum precision reached in modeling molten salt behavior
Less expensive, lighter and more efficient inverters could put hybrid electric vehicles on the highway to improved viability. While batteries receive a lot of attention, Oak Ridge National Laboratory inventor Gui-Jia Su noted that inverters, which convert direct current into alter...
Using a scanning tunneling microscope tip, scientists at the University of Rostock, Germany, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have accomplished something thought to be virtually impossible. “We devised an approach to change electronic properties of one-dimensional systems without...
Understanding the electrons that hold materials together may help scientists design strong, compact, lightweight and radiation-resistant metals at a lower cost. Using supercomputers to study the atomic structures of nickel and iron—the two main components of stainless steel—researchers at Oak Ridg...
A team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Motors researchers has developed a new group of ionic liquids as lubricant additives that could help improve the energy efficiency of cars and trucks. The ionic liquid, when added to prototype low viscosity engine oil, boosted fuel economy by mor...
A membrane technology developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could help secure the nation’s helium supply by enabling the extraction of helium from new, low-grade sources. A steady supply of helium is critical for high-tech applications in MRI machines, fiber optic manufacturing, semiconductor...
Climate change spurs heat waves, droughts, fires and infestations that threaten trees. Researchers at the Climate Change Science Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and collaborators on a Forest Service-funded project are mapping the effect of projected climate change on tree populations. “...
Families of thousands of victims of social violence may gain closure, and killers may receive appropriate punishment, because of a suite of technologies able to locate clandestine graves. While investigators can find some graves, perhaps hundreds of thousands remain undiscovered. Researchers at th...
Scientists are using supercomputers to reveal the structure of proteins whose aggregation is involved in the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. Pavan GhattyVenkataKrishna, a former Oak Ridge National Laboratory postdoctoral...
The Mobile Gait Analysis System improves prosthesis fit and performance for soldiers who have lost a leg, helping them to maintain an active physical lifestyle. The team’s device allows a prosthetic limb to be properly fitted to patients by measuring and analyzing the motions and forces exerted wh...
By substituting lignin for highly engineered, expensive graphite to make battery electrodes, researchers have developed a process that requires fewer steps and offers better performance. Renewable Electrodes from Wood Products, or ReNEW-PRO, is a low-cost lithium-ion battery anode made inexpensive...