Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ORNL’s leadership in materials science and neutron scattering is intertwined with its nuclear roots. New materials enabled reactor technologies, and unique reactors advanced materials characterization.
Today, breakthroughs in physical and neutron sciences are essential to U.S. energy security, industrial competitiveness, and national defense. The challenge now is speeding discovery into deployment amid extreme environments and fragile supply chains, including secure and reliable access to critical minerals. To meet this challenge, ORNL is integrating innovations across the R&D spectrum—from fundamental discovery and scalable synthesis to world-leading characterization.
In this short video, ORNL experts describe how they are building on the lab’s legacy and delivering on the vision to ensure U.S. leadership in the development, manufacture, and deployment of materials, chemistries, and components for energy and security applications.
History vignette: The opening scene is inspired by ORNL’s contributions to the development of semiconductors and other modern technologies enabled by the discovery of the ion channeling effect in 1962.
ORNL is using #BigScience to make a big impact. Learn more: ornl.gov/bigscience
ORNL’s leadership in materials science and neutron scattering is intertwined with its nuclear roots. New materials enabled reactor technologies, and unique reactors advanced materials characterization.
Today, breakthroughs in physical and neutron sciences are essential to U.S. energy security, industrial competitiveness, and national defense. The challenge now is speeding discovery into deployment amid extreme environments and fragile supply chains, including secure and reliable access to critical minerals. To meet this challenge, ORNL is integrating innovations across the R&D spectrum—from fundamental discovery and scalable synthesis to world-leading characterization.
In this short video, ORNL experts describe how they are building on the lab’s legacy and delivering on the vision to ensure U.S. leadership in the development, manufacture, and deployment of materials, chemistries, and components for energy and security applications.
History vignette: The opening scene is inspired by ORNL’s contributions to the development of semiconductors and other modern technologies enabled by the discovery of the ion channeling effect in 1962.
ORNL is using #BigScience to make a big impact. Learn more: ornl.gov/bigscience
