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Media Contacts
![Argon pellet injection text](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-11/13966_Ar_20degree_enhanced_0.jpg?h=8450e950&itok=tmff0GX_)
As scientists study approaches to best sustain a fusion reactor, a team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory investigated injecting shattered argon pellets into a super-hot plasma, when needed, to protect the reactor’s interior wall from high-energy runaway electrons.
![CellSight allows for rapid mass spectrometry of individual cells. Credit: John Cahill, Oak Ridge National Laboratory/U.S. Dept of Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-10/4CellSightPhoto_0.png?h=67debf3e&itok=fmsxiN_b)
Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have received five 2019 R&D 100 Awards, increasing the lab’s total to 221 since the award’s inception in 1963.
![Cropped INFUSE logo](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-10/INFUSE_logo_cropped_0_0.jpg?h=99840d57&itok=4ca76j9U)
The U.S. Department of Energy announced funding for 12 projects with private industry to enable collaboration with DOE national laboratories on overcoming challenges in fusion energy development.
![Representatives from The University of Toledo and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee are teaming up to conduct collaborative automotive materials research.” Credit: University of Toledo](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-10/Oak%20Ridge%20Nat%20Lab%20group%20photo_0.jpeg?h=1e7f2295&itok=pITK15-V)
ORNL and The University of Toledo have entered into a memorandum of understanding for collaborative research.
![Fusion—Heating the core](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-10/Laser_alignment_inside_Proto-MPEX_ORNL.jpg?h=bc1495f5&itok=9Pf5qxXy)
In a recent study, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory performed experiments in a prototype fusion reactor materials testing facility to develop a method that uses microwaves to raise the plasma’s temperature closer to the extreme values
![quantum mechanics to advance a range of technologies including computing, fiber optics and network communication](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-09/2017-P08412_0.jpg?h=b6236d98&itok=ecQNon31)
Three researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will lead or participate in collaborative research projects aimed at harnessing the power of quantum mechanics to advance a range of technologies including computing, fiber optics and network
![low-cost material can be used as an additive to increase thermal insulation performance](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-09/2019-P09265_0.jpg?h=036a71b7&itok=tVT2cC3V)
Quanex Building Products has signed a non-exclusive agreement to license a method to produce insulating material from ORNL. The low-cost material can be used as an additive to increase thermal insulation performance and improve energy efficiency when applied to a variety of building products.
![Salting the gears](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-09/Salting-the-gears_1_0.png?h=b00637a2&itok=gsk3DeGh)
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory proved that a certain class of ionic liquids, when mixed with commercially available oils, can make gears run more efficiently with less noise and better durability.
![Tungsten tiles for fusion](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-07/EBM-tungsten_tiles_ORNL.png?h=0c890573&itok=XgIsl0tA)
Using additive manufacturing, scientists experimenting with tungsten at Oak Ridge National Laboratory hope to unlock new potential of the high-performance heat-transferring material used to protect components from the plasma inside a fusion reactor. Fusion requires hydrogen isotopes to reach millions of degrees.
![Desalination process](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/2019-07/hydrophopicDesal04_0.jpg?h=5473d993&itok=bUBkpGOa)
A new method developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory improves the energy efficiency of a desalination process known as solar-thermal evaporation.