16-Feb-2026 Chemists advance grid-scale energy storage DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have advanced the knowledge required to improve large-scale energy storage. In doing so, they have revealed distinct chemical reactions that improve the stability and efficiency of a promising energy-storage system. Their findings suggest positive implications for U.S. energy security, including increased national power grid reliability and affordability. Journal ACS Energy Letters Funder US Department of Energy Office of Electricity
16-Jan-2026 Honeycomb lattice sweetens quantum materials development DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are pioneering the design and synthesis of quantum materials, which are central to discovery science involving synergies with quantum computation. These innovative materials, including magnetic compounds with honeycomb-patterned lattices, have the potential to host states of matter with exotic behavior. Journal Inorganic Chemistry Funder US Department of Energy Office of Science, Laboratory Directed Research and Development program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory
7-Jan-2026 Ionogel innovation could power safe, enduring energy storage DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an innovative energy storage system design that introduces a safer, more efficient method for electrical charge transfer. This study advances fundamental understanding of how functional groups impact the mechanical and electrochemical performance of highly charged polyelectrolyte membranes — thin, charged polymer sheets that help control the movement of ions in energy devices. Journal Advanced Functional Materials Funder U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, U.S. National Science Foundation
2-Sep-2025 Quantum Brilliance, ORNL pioneer quantum-classical hybrid computing DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory ORNL, in partnership with technology company Quantum Brilliance, has made the first big steps in the advance of quantum computers for scientific discovery with the installation of a Quantum Brilliance computer system at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility. Journal Future Generation Computer Systems
25-Jun-2025 Quantum precision reached in modeling molten salt behavior DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Scientists have developed a new machine learning approach that accurately predicted critical and difficult-to-compute properties of molten salts, materials with diverse nuclear energy applications. Journal Chemical Science
19-Jun-2025 Supercomputer simulations show how to speed up chemical reaction rates DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory Using the now-decommissioned Summit supercomputer, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory ran the largest and most accurate molecular dynamics simulations yet of the interface between water and air during a chemical reaction. Journal JACS
5-Jun-2025 MIT researchers use Frontier to model the density, pressure inside neutron stars DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory For astrophysicists, neutron stars stand out as objects of irresistible fascination — perhaps, in part, because of how difficult they are to decipher. But calculations conducted on the Frontier supercomputer, located at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have revealed new clues about the inner workings of neutron stars. Journal Physical Review Letters
12-May-2025 Scientists track tiny structures key to advanced electronics DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory As demand for energy-intensive computing grows, researchers at ORNL have developed a new technique that lets scientists see how interfaces move in promising materials for computing and other applications. The method, now available to users at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL, could help design dramatically more energy-efficient technologies. Journal Small Methods
