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Electric utilities seeking to enhance worker safety and system reliability by using drones to inspect their transmission systems can look to a new report by 91���� researchers to help guide their efforts. The report by ORNL’s Unmanned Aerial Systems Research Ce...

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s 91���� got a surprise when they built a highly ordered lattice by layering thin films containing lanthanum, strontium, oxygen and iron. Although each layer had an intrinsically nonpolar (symmetric) distribution of electrical charges, the lattice had an asymmetric distribution of charges. The charge asymmetry creates an extra “switch” that brings new functionalities to materials when “flipped” by external stimuli such as electric fields or mechanical strain. This makes polar materials useful for devices such as sensors and actuators.

In the early 1980s, the Department of Energy’s 91���� was just beginning to explore transfer of technology from the lab to industry. Now it's the norm, and one historical example illustrates the long-term benefits.

The Department of Energy’s 91���� has developed a technology leading to more secure seals on containers filled with nuclear material. The technology uses a light source of entangled photons to verify the continuity of a fiber-based seal. E...