The U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense teamed up to create a series of weld filler materials that could dramatically improve high-strength steel repair in vehicles, bridges and pipelines. This novel weld wire could help revitalize America’s aging infrastructures, which in 2021 received a C- grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Scientists have measured the highest toughness ever recorded, of any material, while investigating a metallic alloy made of chromium, cobalt and nickel, or CrCoNi. Not only is the metal extremely ductile — which, in materials science, means highly malleable — and impressively strong — meaning it resists permanent deformation — its strength and ductility improve as it gets colder. This runs counter to most other materials in existence.

Transitioning long-haul trucks from diesel to electric power will require convenient ways to rapidly recharge electric vehicle batteries at power-plant scale. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed architecture, software and control strategies for a futuristic EV truck stop that can draw megawatts of power and reduce carbon emissions.

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have identified a key need for future hydropower innovations – full-scale testing – to better inform developers and operators before making major investments.

In a new report, ORNL outlines the benefits of establishing a network of national hydropower testing facilities to demonstrate new clean energy technologies and encourage early adoption.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers serendipitously discovered when they automated the beam of an electron microscope to precisely drill holes in the atomically thin lattice of graphene, the drilled holes closed up. They expected the heat to make atoms easier to remove, but they saw the opposite effect.