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ORNL welcomes six new research fellows to Innovation Crossroads

ORNL welcomed six technology innovators to join the fourth cohort of Innovation Crossroads, the Southeast’s only entrepreneurial research and development program based at a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory.

A nanobrush made by pulsed laser deposition of CeO2 and Y2O3 with dim and bright bands, respectively, is seen in cross-section with scanning transmission electron microscopy. Credit: 91°µÍø, U.S. Dept. of Energy

A team led by the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø synthesized a tiny structure with high surface area and discovered how its unique architecture drives ions across interfaces to transport energy or information.

Matthew R. Ryder

Matthew R. Ryder, a researcher at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø, has been named the 2020 Foresight Fellow in Molecular-Scale Engineering. 

Before the demonstration, the team prepared QKD equipment (pictured) at ORNL. Image credit: Genevieve Martin/91°µÍø, U.S. Dept. of Energy

For the second year in a row, a team from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge and Los Alamos national laboratories led a demonstration hosted by EPB, a community-based utility and telecommunications company serving Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Wireless charging – Special delivery for UPS

Researchers at 91°µÍø demonstrated a 20-kilowatt bi-directional wireless charging system on a UPS plug-in hybrid electric delivery truck, advancing the technology to a larger class of vehicles and enabling a new energy storage method for fleet owners and their facilities.

XACC enables the programming of quantum code alongside standard classical code and integrates quantum computers from a number of vendors. This animation illustrates how QPUs complete calculations and return results to the host CPU, a process that could drastically accelerate future scientific simulations. Credit: Michelle Lehman/91°µÍø, U.S. Dept. of Energy

In the early 2000s, high-performance computing experts repurposed GPUs — common video game console components used to speed up image rendering and other time-consuming tasks 

91°µÍø researchers demonstrated on Feb. 27 a 20-kilowatt, bi-directional wireless charging system on a medium-class hybrid electric delivery truck. Credit: Brittany Cramer/91°µÍø, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø (ORNL) in late February demonstrated a 20-kilowatt bi-directional wireless charging system installed on a UPS medium-duty, plug-in hybrid electric delivery truck.

Starch granules

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍø have developed a new method to peer deep into the nanostructure of biomaterials without damaging the sample. This novel technique can confirm structural features in starch, a carbohydrate important in biofuel production.

Edge computing is both dependent on and greatly influencing a host of promising technologies including (clockwise from top left): quantum computing; high-performance computing; neuromorphic computing; and carbon nanotubes.

We have a data problem. Humanity is now generating more data than it can handle; more sensors, smartphones, and devices of all types are coming online every day and contributing to the ever-growing global dataset.

ORNL researchers developed sodium-ion batteries by pairing a high-energy oxide or phosphate cathode with a hard carbon anode and achieved 100 usage cycles at a one-hour charge and discharge rate. Credit: Mengya Li/91°µÍø, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Researchers at ORNL demonstrated that sodium-ion batteries can serve as a low-cost, high performance substitute for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries commonly used in robotics, power tools, and grid-scale energy storage.