R&D 100

With co-developer Lenzing Plastics, DuPont de Nemours has created Tyvek Trifecta, an inventive new building wrap that improves fire safety and building performance. It combines three key functions — non-combustibility, weather resistance, and vapor permeability — into a single, durable, and reliable solution. Tyvek Trifecta, designed for residential, commercial, and mixed-use buildings, is particularly well-suited…

Every year, millions of windshields are replaced worldwide, leaving behind a significant amount of waste in the form of the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer, which keeps shattered glass together. Recycling this material is complex and costly, often resulting in low-quality materials unsuitable for reuse. The sheer volume of PVB waste is substantial — over 175…

UltraSonic Photonics, developed by the University of Pittsburg, with help from the National Energy Technology Laboratory and Sensible Photonics, is a sensor system that monitors large-scale infrastructure under stress, offering novel capabilities in detecting potential failures before they occur. The technology uses ultrasonic waves and optical fiber cables to “listen” for changes in the structural…

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Advent Technologies collaborated to develop Ion Pair membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for fuel cell-powered heavy-duty vehicles. This technology aims to improve fuel cell performance, rated power, and durability. As part of the collaboration, Advent Technologies licensed patents from LANL and established a fuel cell research, development, and manufacturing facility…

Weather forecasts are essential for national safety, economic performance, and environmental management. Aircraft-derived observations (ADOs) are especially valuable, offering more impactful data for weather models than traditional sources like ground stations or satellites. ADOs help estimate current atmospheric conditions to help generate accurate forecasts. However, the current NOAA system, MDCRS, is installed on only a…

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer transforms proteomics by enabling rapid and detailed analysis of biological samples. It can identify over 8,000 protein groups from a human cell line digest in just eight minutes, significantly enhancing experimental scale and statistical power. The instrument integrates three advanced technologies: a high-resolution quadrupole mass filter, the Thermo…

In atomic force microscopy (AFM), numerous incremental improvements have been made, yet relatively few new products showcase transformative technologies and capabilities. Asylum Research has been a player in the AFM industry since its founding in 1999. By implementing closed-loop scanning, the MFP-3D AFM (2002) achieved significant advancements in the accuracy of AFM imaging metrology. The…

Nevada National Security Sites’ Electromagnetic Spectrum Management System (ESMS) offers a solution for controlling radio frequencies in sensitive areas. It identifies and “manages” unwanted signals, effectively silencing them while allowing authorized communications to pass through. This is achieved by removing the modulation of hostile signals, rendering them unintelligible while preserving the intended data and voice communication…

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), co-developers Element3 Mineral Selective Technologies, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County have developed a new method of extracting lithium from waste liquids. This method could potentially transform the production of this critical battery metal. The process uses readily available aluminum hydroxide as an effective adsorbent material.…

China Steel Corporation (CSC) and its co-developer, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), developed the new Digital Twin System for Tapping Process, which is helping transform the steel manufacturing landscape through automation and digitalization. This comprehensive system, featuring a real-time digital twin model, integrates monitoring, predictive maintenance, and process optimization to boost productivity, reduce costs, and enhance…

The automotive industry faces a challenge in balancing the need for fuel-efficient lightweight materials to improve the range of electric vehicles with solid and safe vehicles to protect passengers. Aluminum-silicon-coated press-hardened steels (PHS) are a promising solution, but these materials pose a unique challenge in laser welding. The presence of the Al-Si coating often leads…

Stem cell therapy shows promise in healing damaged tissues, yet existing scaffolds often do not replicate the natural flexibility of human tissue. This can result in cell detachment, death, and even secondary injury during recovery. Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, along with co-developers from the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, have created a new type…

MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Precision Photon Synchronization System represents a significant step forward in quantum networking. It offers a practical and efficient solution for enabling quantum communication across vast distances. By ensuring that entangled photons can arrive at their destinations with extreme precision, the system helps overcome one of the significant challenges in establishing global quantum…

In the pursuit of sustainable energy, some inventors think big. Zhiyu (Jerry) Hu, Ph.D., thinks small — at the nanoscale. His work in thermoelectric devices is transforming how we understand and harvest energy, turning minute temperature differences into reliable power sources. For much of his life, Hu has found inspiration not just in fire but…

An analysis of 45 years of R&D 100 Awards reveals a clear leader: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), with more than two hundred winning products. National labs dominate the top ranks, demonstrating the staying power of consistent government investment in R&D. All of the top 10 organizations since 2010 are federally-backed entities. ORNL Frequently featured…

The Medalists in the 2024 R&D 100 Awards Special Recognition categories have been announced by R&D World. This year’s esteemed judging panel included 56 well-respected industry professionals from across the world. Medalists are listed below by category, and include primary submitting organizations and then co-developing organizations, as provided to R&D World. These and other winners…

A total of 141 Finalists for the 2024 R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World. This renowned worldwide science and innovation competition, celebrating its 62nd year, received entries from 16 different countries and regions. This year’s esteemed judging panel included 56 well-respected industry professionals from across the world. The Finalists are listed below…

This year’s iteration of the esteemed R&D 100 Awards features a judging panel comprised of 56 professionals from across the globe, who boast an impressive collection of accomplishments and honors. Finalists in this year’s 62nd R&D 100 Awards will be announced on August 1st at rdworldonline.com. Winners of this year’s R&D 100 Awards, along with…

SCHOTT’s SCHOTT TO PLUS is a transistor outline (TO) header packaging solution that enables unprecedented transmission speeds for fiber-optic data transmission. Hermetically sealed with glass-to-metal sealing technology, SCHOTT TO PLUS headers deliver twice as much data over a single fiber than existing technology while being more economical. The headers offer a delivery of 50 GB…

There are multiple challenges to developing autonomous microscopy. It requires a balance between the workflows, development of task-specific machine-learning methods, understanding of the interplay between physics discovery and machine learning and end-to-end definition of the discovery workflows. Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a physics-informed, active learning (AL)-driven autonomous microscopy, which enables active…

Developer: National Energy Technology Lab Co-Developer: University of Pittsburgh Sensible Photonics The Transformer Watchman is a simple-to-use and integrated measurement system that monitors large power and distribution transformers and reports on the health of these critical components. It is an optical fiber-based sensor system with several key measuring devices to check transformer health in real…

Sandia National Laboratories’ Electro3D was created to enable a new electrochemical metal 3D printing method. It reduces barriers to using water and nonaqueous electrolyte feedstocks and opens the door to a wide range of possibilities from novel material combinations. Previously, metals needed to be printed in extreme environments and often required costly and time-consuming post-processing.…

Nano and Advanced Materials Institute’s (NAMI) dual-performing coolants, based on segregated fluorination technology, with specific operating temperature, high heat of vaporization, specific heat, and thermal conductivity, can overcome the drawback of high-power usage effectiveness (PUE) of single-phase cooling and the high maintenance cost of a two-phase cooling system. Through molecular engineering, NAMI can achieve high…

Developer: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Co-developer: Stellar Science Ltd. Co. Meta Optics Studio (MOS), a software package specifically designed for the creation, simulation, and optimization of flat meta-surfaces, these artificial structures are used to enhance light wavefront engineering, resulting in better focusing, phase correction, and removal of aberrations. MOS has a unique multi-platform capability and…

Researchers at Taiwan Textile Research Institute TTRI have developed temperature-regulated leather material by combining two water-based elements: microcapsule technique and water-based long-fiber foundation fabric. The former can regulate temperature by keeping or releasing the heat to maintain an ideal skin temperature of 80° F (27° C) on average; the latter can provide softness and sturdiness…