Physical Sciences at ORNL

Celebrating #NanoDays in the Physical Sciences 🌟 Did you know? Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers recently developed a new method to make fiber-reinforced #polymer composites—used in industries like #automotive 🚗 and #aerospace ✈️—stronger and tougher.   By adding the 𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 in a unique way, the research team was able to increase the durability of the composites by 𝟲𝟬% and their toughness by 𝟭𝟬𝟬%, offering a more cost-effective and scalable solution for enhancing these important #materials.   This research, published in 𝘼𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙎𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, is part of the 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝟮.𝟬, which aims to develop stronger, more efficient materials for future technologies.    Learn more about this research: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gXuAAvkE 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eUrRMSRW #BigScience #nano 

🚀 From ORNL to Mars, by way of Ohio State! A team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers and university students recently conducted a groundbreaking experiment at The Ohio State University Research Reactor, testing zirconium carbide coatings for nuclear thermal rocket fuel. ⚛️ 🚀 Using the INSET 2.0 furnace, the team subjected fuel surrogates to extreme temperatures and radiation, pushing the boundaries of materials testing for space travel. This innovative research could accelerate NASA’s journey to Mars! 🌌🔬 Read more about this exciting milestone in nuclear space propulsion! ➡️ https://bit.ly/4lcpBU3 📣 Brandon Wilson, PhD, Emily Hutchins (UT), Pavel Shilenko (West Point) and Bryan Conry Nuclear Science User Facilities (NSUF)

LA-ICP-TOF-MS always comes through in the clutch! Some of our recent work was just published in JAAS (Analytical #RSCAnalytical) where we were able to combine the fast sampling of laser ablation with ICP-TOF-MS to characterize particles collected IN FIELD! Ill never forget the day that a colleague had asked if there were particles of interest on a collection. They just couldn't wait for us to sonicate, digest, matrix-conversion etc. So what do we do? Zap it! Great to see a method be applied to actual, real-world samples! https://lnkd.in/eZebN-9r Sarah Szakas Jordan Stanberry Brian Ticknor Leslie O'Brien Mark Boris Josh Hewitt Cable-Dunlap Paula Hunter Andrews TOFWERK Elemental Scientific Lasers Oak Ridge National Laboratory Physical Sciences at ORNL Isotopes at ORNL National Security Sciences at ORNL

Exploration of #Mars and other #space missions would not be possible without #welding technology developed and perfected at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The Mars rovers used by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration are powered by plutonium-238 fuel pellets, a #radioactive #isotope that provides working electricity for the vehicles. However, Pu-238 also generates extreme heat, easily reaching 2400 degrees Fahrenheit, which would melt any conventional material used to contain the pellets. ORNL’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program solves this problem by using highly specialized welding to fabricate fuel capsules out of #iridium, an extremely durable metal with a melting point of more than 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the first of a series of stories highlighting ORNL's contributions to the field during the American Welding Society's #NationalWeldingMonth. #NWM2025 🔗 Find out more: https://bit.ly/3tRm0jS

Two scientists from PSD are joining the ranks of a distinguished group that includes Thomas Edison, W.E.B. Du Bois and many other big names. Honyung Lee and Roger Rousseau have been named fellows by the AAAS, one of the world’s largest scientific societies and publisher of Science Magazine. Congratulations! 👏 👏 👏   Read more about it here: https://bit.ly/3RsABPE

Two Materials Research Society (MRS) Fellows in 2025 at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory Congratulations also to my colleague Miaofang Chi, FMRS! See you in Seattle, WA, Spring MRS Meeting. https://lnkd.in/ekhxWGbe Thank you to the Macromolecular Nanomaterials Group Members and colleagues at CNMS. Also to my Research Group at the University of Tennessee...and past Group Members. Also, a reminder, call for User Proposals for CNMS is now open: https://lnkd.in/eHvN5kZk Rigoberto Advincula Oak Ridge National Laboratory University of Tennessee, Knoxville University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute Tickle College of Engineering at the University of Tennessee University of Tennessee System East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering - University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Materials Science and Engineering - University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, & Biomedical Engineering - University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Nuclear Engineering - University of Tennessee, Knoxville UT Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Materials Research Society

🔬🥽 National Science Appreciation Day highlights the vital role of #BasicScience in driving transformative innovation. At Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Physical Sciences Directorate (PSD), pioneering research in #MaterialsScience, #Chemistry, and #Physics forms the foundation for future technologies that will shape the world. 🌎 Through in-depth studies of the fundamental properties of #materials and #energy, PSD scientists collaborate across disciplines to develop solutions for the challenges of tomorrow—such as #EnergyResilience, #QuantumComputing, #Microelectronics, and beyond. 🧪   🤔 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄? Last year, PSD researchers published over 𝟭,𝟭𝟵𝟬 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀 and secured 𝟰𝟰 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, proving how basic science is the key to solving real-world problems. 💡 Learn more about how this research is shaping future innovations: https://lnkd.in/eJRH4Fgj #BigScience #NationalScienceAppreciationDay

I would like to say thank you to the MRS society, my collaborators, ORNL colleagues, my mentors, and all postdocs and students who has worked with me! And congratulations also to my colleague Gobet! Oak Ridge National Laboratory Duke University Pratt School of Engineering Materials Research Society

Still going strong!!! With a 70-year legacy, the Corrosion Science and Technology Group at ORNL (https://lnkd.in/g5Z4uv_2) will be at TMS 2025 and we are looking to grow. If developing solutions to environmental degradation problems of materials is your calling, please contact me or any of the group members below. We will showcase our ongoing work on "Materials Compatibility in Diverse Environments" for power generation and transportation technologies. Samuel Bell: Understanding the Thermomechanical Response of Incumbent and ATF Fuel Claddings to Accident Transients Monday, 4:20 PM, Room 160 Jiheon(Jay) Jun: Plasma-assisted surface treatment and coating deposition on AZ91D and AM60 Mg Alloys for Corrosion Protection Thursday, 1:50 PM, Room 101 Marie Romedenne: Alumina Scale Stability Under Combined High Temperature, Liquid Metal Corrosion, and Neutron Irradiation Monday, 3:40 PM, Room 164 Claude De lamater-Brotherton: Evaluation of Compatibility of Steel, Vanadium Materials and Steel-Insulator-Steel Structures with High Temperature Liquid Lithium. Monday, 4:20 PM, Room 164 Praneeth Bachu: AI-Driven Multiscale Computational Framework for Corrosion-Induced Degradation of High Temperature Alloys Poster SPG-95 Monday, Marquee Ballroom, 5:30-6:30 PM Dr.-Ing. Rishi Pillai: Evaluating Compatibility of Structural Materials for a FLiBe Fusion Breeder Blanket Monday, 4:20 PM, Room 164 Assessing the Impact of Molten Halide Salts on Creep of Structural Alloys at 650°-750°C Tuesday, 10:45 AM, Room 165 The Less Known Impact of High Temperature (> 400 °C) Hydrogen Induced Degradation of Steels and Ni-Based Alloys Wednesday, 9:20 AM, Room 359

Exciting news from the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. Researchers Miaofang Chi and Rigoberto Advincula of Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been chosen as 2025 Fellows of the Materials Research Society, an honor extended to just .2% of the organization's 13,000 members. MRS elected Chi for her work developing new #ElectronMicroscopy methods for the study of energy materials and Advincula for his cutting-edge research on #Polymers and #Nanomaterials. Find out more: bit.ly/4iDB65v