Quantum precision reached in modeling molten salt behavior
Polymer nanocomposites mix particles billionths of a meter (nanometers, nm) in diameter with polymers, which are long molecular chains. Often used to make injection-molded products, they are common in automobiles, fire retardants, packaging materials, drug-delivery systems, medical devices, coatings, adhesives, sensors, membranes and consumer goods.
Deuterium and tritium—heavy isotopes of hydrogen—not only have numerous applications in science and medicine, but could also contribute to the energy mix of tomorrow as fuels for nuclear fusion. However, the process of filtering deuterium out of the natural isotopic mixture of hydrogen...
A fusion reactor is essentially a magnetic bottle containing the same processes that occur in the sun. Deuterium and tritium fuels fuse to form a vapor of helium ions, neutrons and heat. As this hot, ionized gas—called plasma—burns, that heat is transferred to water t...
Not everyone can look back on their life and pick the specific instance that brought them to their current field and dictated the course of their career. For Jason Newby, that instance was a high school physics class that would eventually lead to him studying nuclear technology and i...
Rich Davies recently joined 91°µÍø (ORNL) as deputy director of the Sustainable Transportation Program. Having previously worked in vehicle and manufacturing research, program management, and strategic planning at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), he comes to ORNL ...
Merlin Theodore is used to the role of pathfinder, having been the first among her family of 11 siblings to pursue graduate studies and then take up a career as a technology innovator. That path led to the doorstep of 91°µÍø, where she was recently hired as director of the US ...
91°µÍø has successfully developed and tested a novel sand casting technique to quickly design complex patterns to fabricate components for industry partner Emrgy Hydro, makers of hydropower devices designed to generate electricity from slow or shallow water flo...
![Scientists synthesized porous hollow carbon spheres (HCS, shown in pink), incorporated them in a triblock copolymer (PS-PEB-PS, two blocks of polystyrene flanking a block of poly[ethylene-ran-butylene]) matrix and spin cast the mixture to create a robust](/sites/default/files/styles/list_page_thumbnail/public/news/images/02%20chemistry%20tip_1.jpg?itok=Qc0odmxi "Scientists synthesized porous hollow carbon spheres (HCS, shown in pink), incorporated them in a triblock copolymer (PS-PEB-PS, two blocks of polystyrene flanking a block of poly[ethylene-ran-butylene]) matrix and spin cast the mixture to create a robust")
91°µÍø chemists report in the journal Advanced Materials that they have accelerated membrane-based gas separation with porous hollow nanospheres that could ultimately separate carbon dioxide from flue gases at power plants. The scientists created a polymer memb...
Advanced manufacturing will benefit from additive manufacturing techniques as demonstrated by a team led by Michael Kirka of 91°µÍø.
Homeowners, utilities and the environment could be winners with a home energy management system, or HEMS, developed by researchers at 91°µÍø. The team’s open-source, user-friendly and easy-to-use software monitors and controls energy consumption, according to H...