Story Tips
Story ideas from Oak Ridge National Laboratory
May 1998
Story ideas from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. To arrange for an interview with any of these researchers, please call Ron Walli of Communications and Public Affairs (423) 576-0226
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER -- The Wonder Hinge
A two-position, gapless hinge that will seal vertically in one position and horizontally in the other position has been developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology. The hinge was designed and fabricated as part of the building of a prototype light-weight, highly mobile surgical unit called the Advanced Surgical Suite for Trauma Casualties, also known as the "hospital in a box," for the Army and the Marine Corps. The two-position, sealable hinge also has broader applications in such things as portable shelters, aircraft panels, seamless tailgates for vehicles, hazardous material handling equipment and recreational vehicles. [Contact: Bill Wilburn or David Vandergriff]
GENETICS -- Angelman snydrome model developed
Human geneticists have discovered the gene responsible for Angelman syndrome, also known as "happy puppet syndrome." Sufferers of the syndrome experience severe mental retardation, motor delay, seizures, sleep disorders, inappropriate laughter and a number of other abnormalities. Among the collection of mouse mutants at ORNL is a radiation-induced deletion in mouse chromosome 7 that results in the mouse version of Angelman syndrome. In people and in mice, the syndrome occurs only when the mutant gene is inherited maternally. The mouse model should tell researchers more about functional causes of Angelman syndrome and mechanisms that control imprinting. [Contact: Dabney Johnson]
ENERGY -- Popeye Power
Popeye turned to spinach when he needed a burst of energy, but the leafy potherb may have even more significant uses in the future. ORNL researchers are exploring using a strain of spinach to power photodiodes and nanomachines. Photosynthetic reaction centers from the plant could be used for photodiodes (in which electrons move in one direction) and for solar batteries as small as six nanometers that could power nanomachines. Because of their extremely small size -- the photosynthetic chips can be 10 to 100 times smaller than the smallest silicon chips -- they could, in principle, give the sharpest possible video and telescopic images. So while most kids dread to see spinach on their plates, the energy conversion power of the plant may give it a whole new life. [Contact: Eli Greenbaum]
PHYSICS -- Quantum Growth of Thin Films and Magic Numbers
For decades it has been known that certain nuclei are more stable than others and certain atoms are inert while others are active. In the 1980s, scientists discovered that, when metal atoms form clusters, certain clusters are also more stable than others. These systems are particularly stable when they each contain a "magic number" of elemental building blocks: protons and neutrons for the nuclei, electrons for the atoms, and atoms for the clusters. Now an ORNL research team has found that the same principle can operate when one tries to grow thin metal films on semiconductors: an atomically flat film can be formed if the film contains a magic number of layers. Research into why there exist magic numbers suggests that it may be possible to do quantum engineering of metallic overlayers down to the atomic scale, which could lead to production of perfect films needed to develop next-generation electronic devices. [Contact: Zhenyu Zhang]
###
RSS