In a new paper, experts at Argonne have discovered how to store and use a novel source of energy produced in nuclear reactors, turning a problem into an opportunity. When atomic nuclei split to generate nuclear energy, high-energy particles such as neutrons hit the graphite walls of the reactor core, causing damages that engineers have sought to limit – until now. When this happens, neutrons knock carbon atoms out of their lattice positions in graphite, and a fraction of the neutron energy is stored as potential energy, like a compressed spring.
Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.