📸 ORNL in Focus: This hot cell facility enables safe handling and processing of radioactive materials, supporting the reliable production of isotopes that power deep space exploration systems and reinforce U.S. energy security capabilities.
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Discovery is the beginning of a much longer journey.
New knowledge can lead to inventions, technologies and industry partnerships that move research toward real-world applications, creating new opportunities for innovation and economic growth.
See how👇
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ORNL has been selected for six Phase II awards under the @ENERGY's #GenesisMission#.
The projects will advance research in national priority areas for faster, more reliable science. Learn more about the projects 👇
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One of the biggest engineering challenges in fusion isn't creating the heat. It's managing it.
Here, ORNL fusion engineer Cody Wiggins inspects the Helium Flow Loop Experiment, where high-pressure helium is used to test cooling strategies for future fusion energy systems.
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ORNL shipped more than two tons of lithium-7 enriched FLiBe salt to a new molten salt research reactor in Texas.
The transfer will help speed development of the first U.S. salt-fueled reactor since ORNL’s Molten Salt Reactor Experiment ended in 1969:
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At ORNL, more than 7,400 ORNL staff bring together expertise in computing, national security, manufacturing, materials, energy and more, helping turn scientific capabilities into technologies and economic opportunity nationwide.
Learn how 👇
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ORNL researchers are improving methods to recover tiny amounts of rare radioisotopes produced during californium-252 production.
The more efficient processes increase purity and recovery while reducing workers’ radiation exposure.
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ORNL researchers teamed up with @Boeing to explore faster, more efficient manufacturing of thermoplastic composite aircraft parts by 3D printing a nearly 2-ton metal mold.
The approach could eventually be applied to other U.S. industries. Read more ⬇️
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ORNL researchers test promising solid-state battery materials under practical manufacturing conditions to find out what holds up, what fails, and why.
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A material's surface has a story to tell.
At ORNL's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Cat Shi uses a Krüss goniometer to study how liquids interact with polymers. These measurements help researchers better understand how materials will perform in real-world applications.
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A new global population distribution dataset from ORNL provides more detailed population estimates and measures of uncertainty to support disaster response, infrastructure planning and national security.
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Big science creates impact far beyond the laboratory.
Explore ORNL’s impact and learn how scientific capabilities in East Tennessee translate into innovation and economic opportunity nationwide in the 2025 Economic Impact Report.
Read now ⬇️
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As AI drives unprecedented growth in electricity demand, ORNL researchers have developed a computational method that could help electric grid operators and data center developers manage power more efficiently.
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New ORNL-developed device detects traces of nuclear material, enhancing safety at fuel cycle facilities 👇
America’s electric grid and energy systems face evolving challenges.
ORNL is helping the nation overcome these challenges by modernizing the grid and improving how energy is generated, delivered, and used.
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You may have heard of "chestnuts roasting on an open fire," but have you ever seen a chestnut tree?
A blight killed billions of them in the early 1900s, but researchers @ORNL & @jgi are using genomics and biochemical profiling to help restore them:
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Congratulations to ORNL researchers Deeksha Rastogi and Sudershan Gangrade on being featured in this year’s 40 Under 40 roundup from @knoxnews!
Both use high-performance computing to better understand water, weather and infrastructure risks here in East Tennessee.
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Radium needles, seen here, once helped treat cancer. Now, these obsolete medical devices could help fight it again.
ORNL researchers are recovering scarce radium-226 from the needles to help produce in-demand radioisotopes for modern cancer treatments 👉
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📸 ORNL in Focus: This cryogenic robot at ORNL's Spallation Neutron Source retrieves frozen protein crystal samples, positions them for neutron scattering experiments, and returns them to storage, helping researchers study more samples with speed and precision.
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ORNL researchers developed an AI framework that uses realistic synthetic data to identify nanoscale features in atomic force microscope images. It can guide microscopes toward the most informative areas of a sample for closer study.
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