91°µÍř

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Three team members stand holding their award for bet paper by Welding Journal

A paper written by researchers from the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř was selected as the top paper of 2023 by Welding Journal that explored the feasibility of using laser-blown powder direct energy deposition, or Laser-powder DED.

seven scientists' headshots are listed horizontally in a graphic representing the Battelle Distingished Inventors

Seven scientists affiliated with ORNL have been named Battelle Distinguished Inventors in recognition of being granted 14 or more United States patents. Since Battelle began managing ORNL in 2000, 104 ORNL researchers have reached this milestone.

A silicon-carbide-based thermal protection system developed by ORNL and Sierra Space researchers will be used on the Sierra Space DC100 Dream Chaser.

Researchers with the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř and Sierra Space Corporation have developed a new silicon-carbide-based thermal protection system, or TPS, for reusable commercial spacecraft. 

Members of the target design team pose next to the 2.0-megawatt-capable mercury flow target they developed.

The Proton Power Upgrade project at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source has achieved its final key performance parameter of 1,250 hours of neutron production at 1.7 megawatts of proton beam power on a newly developed target. 

Pictured is a 3D printed roosting structure for bats.

91°µÍř researchers are using a new bioderived material to 3D print custom roosting structures for endangered bats.

The left/right columns show a time series of the neutron/proton number densities in log scale for a typical fission trajectory. The bar relates the color to the decimal logarithm of the number density.

Researchers used the Summit supercomputer at ORNL to answer one of fission’s big questions: What exactly happens during the nucleus’s “neck rupture” as it splits in two? Scission neutrons have been theorized to be among those particles emitted during neck rupture, although their exact characteristics have been debated due to a lack of conclusive experimental evidence of their existence.

Pictured is a 3D printer that creates objects using electron beam melting, looks like a glowing orb.

Researchers have developed and 3D printed the lightest crack-free alloy capable of operating without melting at temperatures above 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit, which could enable additively manufactured turbine blades to better handle extreme temperatures, reducing the carbon footprint of gas turbine engines such as those used in airplanes.

Pictured is the IMAGINE instrument at the High Flux Isotope Reactor

Biochemist David Baker — just announced as a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry — turned to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at 91°µÍř for information he couldn’t get anywhere else. HFIR is the strongest reactor-based neutron source in the United States.  

Team working on in green composites design for their fully-recyclable wind turbine blade tip incorporating low-cost carbon fiber

ORNL researchers were honored with a prestigious ACE Award for Composites Excellence by the American Composites Manufacturers Association. The team won the “innovation in green composites design” prize for creating a fully recyclable, lightweight wind turbine blade tip that incorporates low-cost carbon fiber and conductive coating for enhanced protection against lightning strikes. 

MedUSE wire-arc

Researchers at ORNL are using advanced manufacturing techniques to revitalize the domestic production of very large metal parts that weigh at least 10,000 pounds each and are necessary for a variety of industries, including energy.