News Releases

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Sep-2025 02:11 ET (9-Sep-2025 06:11 GMT/UTC)

Innovation Crossroads companies join forces, awarded U.S. Air Force contract

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The U.S. Air Force awarded startup SkyNano, led by Innovation Crossroads alumna Anna Douglas, a $1.25 million contract to advance its CO2-to-carbon nanotube technology as part of a project to develop low-cost, battery-grade graphite. SkyNano’s partners include American Energy Technologies Company and Eonix, led by Innovation Crossroads alumnus Don DeRosa.

The lignin is in the latitude

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at ORNL have found that the geographic origin of poplar trees influences their cell wall chemistry, affecting the way the trees adapt to environmental changes. The discovery revealed a correlation between latitude and the expression of lignin, a plant polymer, which is responsible for plant structure and support.

Journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Study unearths rich rhizodeposits data for better bioenergy crops

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted a meticulous analysis of the compounds released by plant roots into their surrounding environment. The analysis yielded an abundance of data that can guide research aiming to improve the way we grow energy and food crops.

Journal: Plant Cell & Environment
Funder: U.S. Department of Energy

New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed an automated atomic force microscopy platform that captures both nanoscale details and broader biological structures. Demonstrated on bacterial biofilms, the technique reveals how individual cell features connect to larger organizational patterns, offering new insights into resilient microbial communities.

Journal: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Carbon fiber boosts dry-processed battery performance

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have overcome a barrier to using a more affordable, dry process for manufacturing the lithium-ion batteries used in vehicles and electronic devices. The resulting batteries provide greater electricity flow and reduced risk of overheating.

Journal: Journal of Power Sources

Innovation Crossroads welcomes six entrepreneurs for Cohort 2025

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The 2025 Innovation Crossroads cohort brings together six entrepreneurs who will collaborate with ORNL to accelerate advancements in energy and emerging technologies that strengthen U.S. competitiveness and regional economic growth.

JuggerBot 3D, ORNL to expand possibilities for pellet-fed 3D printing

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and JuggerBot 3D, an industrial 3D printer equipment manufacturer, have launched their second research and development collaboration through the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, or MDF, Technical Collaboration Program.

Licensed ORNL technology makes magnets with fewer critical minerals

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

United Rare Earths has licensed two innovative technologies from Oak Ridge National Laboratory aimed at reducing dependence on critical rare earth elements. These technologies support the creation of high-performance magnets engineered to use significantly less rare earth content.

Groundbreaking cancer therapy clinical trial with US Department of Energy’s accelerator-produced actinium-225 set to begin this summer

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Business Announcement

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Isotope Program, within the Office of Science, will supply a U.S. based company with accelerator produced actinium-225 (Ac-225) in support of an upcoming U.S. clinical trial for cancer therapy for the first time. This is a significant milestone in the advancement of radiopharmaceutical development and cancer therapy because it opens a potential new pipeline for this lifesaving isotope.

Nanofibers yield stronger, tougher carbon fiber composites

DOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed an innovative new technique using carbon nanofibers to enhance binding in carbon fiber and other fiber-reinforced polymer composites – an advance likely to improve structural materials for automobiles, airplanes and other applications that require lightweight and strong materials.

Journal: Advanced Functional Materials

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