When converting corn into ethanol, a lot of lignin and cellulosic material is left over. We could get energy out of the remains and turn them into other useful chemicals—if only we had controllable, efficient processes. To improve those processes, computational chemist Ariana Beste and experimental ...
Ionic liquids have emerged as promising new solvents capable of disrupting the cellulose crystalline structure in a wide range of biomass feedstocks. Such biomass is of particular interest as a renewable and sustainable source of fuels and chemicals, and the crystallinity of the cellulose is one of ...
Spin valves are widely used in computing applications and are seen as a potentially revolutionary technology in applications such as memory chips and miniature chips and sensors. They are a part of the suite of technologies known as "spintronics," which use the magnetic property of electrons called ...
Separating olefins from paraffin in petroleum wastewater is a heavy expense for the petrochemical industry. Companies are looking for cheaper techniques to recycle waste streams. Neutron scattering on the BASIS instrument at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source shows that olefin...
Researchers used the SEQUOIA inelastic spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source to map the dynamics of hydrogen atoms in a natural crystal of muscovite. The team from the Czech and Slovak Republics compared their experimental findings with computer simulations of the material's structure and dy...
High-resolution subsurface exploration could get a boost with innovative approaches that take advantage of the underlying dynamics of atomic force microscopy. By carefully manipulating the oscillations of the probe and substrate in an unconventional manner, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Laurene Te...
Unsafe commercial motor vehicles may be off the roads sooner with help from an Oak Ridge National Laboratory-led testing facility in Greene County, Tenn. ORNL researchers are working alongside state troopers to test and validate screening technologies such as an infrared system that can automaticall...
Despite limitations at regional scales, climate models still provide useful information that should be considered by civil engineers and planners making decisions about infrastructure such as dams, power plants, oil refineries and water treatment plants. This is the finding of Oak Ridge National Lab...
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have achieved a friction-stir technology milestone by extruding aluminum-based wire in lengths up to 15 feet. Friction-stir, which is also used in welding, is a method that uses the heat from a spinning tool to plasticize metal alloys or composites for re...
By applying the magnetic properties of iron nanodots to complex materials, a research team has overcome an obstacle to getting ultra-thin or highly strained films to perform on par with their bulk counterparts. If the researchers are indeed successful, this work sets the stage for these exotic mater...