Historical Timeline of Argonne (1946–Present)

On July 1, 1946, the University of Chicago opened the doors to Argonne National Laboratory. Originally chartered to study peaceful uses of atomic power, Argonne has broadly expanded its focus over the decades, driving discoveries in energy, Earth systems, health, computing, cosmology, and more.

In December 1951, Argonne's Experimental Breeder Reactor-I lit up a string of four lightbulbs with the world's first usable electricity from nuclear energy, enabling Argonne to deliver on the promise of peaceful uses for atomic energy. One of the bulbs was presented to Harry Truman, then President of the United States. 

Argonne helped pioneer early computing research in 1953 when physicists built AVIDAC, the lab’s first digital computer. It was the size of a large room, contained 2,500 electronic tubes, and could perform arithmetic operations for numbers up to 999,999,999,999.

The launch of the U.S.S. Nautilus, the world's first atomic-powered submarine, was the culmination of six years of planning, design, execution, and testing by organizations throughout the country, including Argonne National Laboratory. The capabilities of the Nautilus instantly transformed worldwide submarine and antisubmarine tactics.

The Experimental Boiling Water Reactor (EBWR), designed and built by Argonne, achieved first criticality as the first-ever prototype for a boiling water reactor power plant. This milestone demonstrated the safety and dynamic stability of directly employing the core’s water coolant for conversion of fission heat to electricity.

Argonne physicist Maria Goeppert Mayer shared the 1963 Nobel Prize in physics for explaining the nuclear shell structure, research she performed at Argonne that accounts for many properties of atomic nuclei.

In 1963, Argonne’s Zero Gradient Synchrotron came online, the nation’s first proton accelerator for high energy physics research and its first national user facility. After the addition of a hydrogen bubble chamber in 1970, Argonne scientists used it to study the neutrino, a key particle in the Standard Model of physics.

Argonne and Zenith Radio developed a new neutron radiography technique that could resolve moving objects. Seeing through lead walls was no longer a problem.

In the 1970s, Argonne was part of the first wave of research
developing a lithium-based battery. The batteries operated at high temperature and had a very high capacity for storing energy. Intended applications included smogless-propulsion commercial vehicles and modernization of the electric grid. In the 1990s, Argonne redirected its program to focus on the lithium-ion battery, which operates at room temperature and above, paving the way for greater use of electric vehicles.

Argonne nuclear engineers have worked to convert numerous scientific reactors around the world to run on low rather than high-enriched uranium, which helps reduce the risk of the spread of nuclear weapons and material. 

In the early 1980s, Argonne scientist Paul Benioff proposed his pioneering theoretical framework for a quantum computer by developing the first model of a Turing machine based on quantum mechanics. This advancement led to Argonne’s pioneering research of quantum technologies today.

The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) opened its doors to users in 1981. It employed accelerators to generate neutron pulses created by a process called “spallation” to probe the atomic structure of matter. Over the next quarter century, IPNS produced billions of neutron pulses and ushered in a new era of neutron science, serving as a model for future neutron facilities.

In 1983, DOE’s Office of Advanced Scientific Computing led the nation in recognizing the potential of parallel computers by establishing the Advanced Computing Research Facility at Argonne.

On April 25, 1985, a new national user facility, the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS), was inaugurated as the world’s first superconducting accelerator for particles heavier than electrons. Open today to scientists from all over the world, ATLAS has provided unique and powerful beams for nuclear and atomic physics research programs for decades.

In 1986 the discovery of high-temperature superconductors made a splash in science—and Argonne became a world leader in research on these materials, which carry electricity with no energy loss. In 1987, Argonne helped solve the structure of this material, made America's first wire out of it, and was first to run electrical current through the wire.

In the 1990s, Argonne invented a revolutionary cathode material from a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) mix that lasted longer and stored more energy. Since inventing the NMC cathode, Argonne continued its development, leading to several licensing agreements, including with General Motors, which adopted the material in its Chevy Volt and Bolt models.

The Advanced Photon Source (APS), a new national user facility, saw first light in 1995.  Generating ultrabright X-rays that enable a host of scientific pursuits, the APS is one of the most productive light sources in the world, with more than 5,000 researchers from across the globe annually. Experiments began in 1996, including research that helped Abbott Laboratories develop Kaltera, a world-leading drug in the fight against HIV, extending the lives of thousands living with HIV/AIDS.  

In 1996, researchers from Argonne and three other national laboratories developed a process to convert corn into a cost-efficient source of commercial chemicals. Once incorporated into polymers and solvents, these chemicals could be used in clothing, fibers, paints, inks, food additives, and other products, reducing imported oil use and expanding agriculture markets. 

In 2002, Argonne engineers invented ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD), the world's smoothest and hardest diamond-grain film only 5 nanometers across. UNCDs are chemically inert, so they are safe for use in implants (e.g., heart pump walls, artificial retinas), as well as in mechanical pump seals and sensors for detecting chemicals in water.

Argonne scientist Alexei Abrikosov shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering work on superconductivity. His achievements have had profound implications for a range of technologies, including particle accelerators, fusion reactors, cell phone towers and wind turbine compact motors. MRI machines are designed based on type-II superconductors, which were first theorized by Abrikosov.

In 2007, Argonne researchers worked to perfect atomic layer deposition (ALD), a thin-film growth technique offering atomic-level control for coating complex, three-dimensional objects with precisely fitted layers. Target applications included using ALD to produce solid-state lighting, industrial catalysts, superconductors and separation membranes.

Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials (CNM), a new national user facility, began full operations in September 2007. Since then, CNM users have been leveraging its world-class tools and capabilities for nanoscale research to drive discoveries in energy, health, computing, quantum technology, and more.

In the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis, computer simulations called agent-based models, developed at Argonne, showed promise in predicting future market behavior. Such models provided policymakers with a more realistic picture of different types of investors and markets, enabling them to predict crises and better avert future economic catastrophes. 

The three recipients of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry used the Advanced Photon Source to complete their award-winning research on the structure and function of the ribosome. 

Argonne scientists launched a five-year study in 2009 to model outbreaks of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the deadly so-called “flesh-eating bacterium.” Using Argonne’s high-performance computers, they employed agent-based modeling, performing thousands of simulations to track and predict MRSA’s spread through a city.

In 2009, researchers at Procter & Gamble used Argonne’s Intrepid Blue Gene/P supercomputer to perform unprecedented simulations investigating the molecular mechanisms of bubble formation in foams. Understanding these processes helps manufacturers develop many consumer products, foods, and fire control materials.

In 2010, Argonne developed its patented sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) technique, which applies a vapor coating that diffuses into materials and grows inorganic yet functional structures rather than simply resting on the surface. SIS applies to semiconductors, coatings, glass, and sponges.

APS X-rays were crucial for designing the Chevy Volt’s improved battery cathode by enabling scientists to see — for the first time at the atomic level — the molecular structure of battery material.

In 2012, Argonne opened the doors to the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF), where scientists and engineers develop scalable manufacturing processes for advanced materials that are challenging to make. Working with dozens of partners from industry and academia, researchers produce kilogram quantities of experimental materials — for batteries, water purification, and more — and distribute them for industrial evaluation, prototyping, and further R&D in new areas. A 2020 expansion more than doubled the MERF space.

The Argonne-led Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR) launched in 2012 with ambitious goals to design and build transformative materials for next-generation batteries that satisfy all the performance metrics for a given application. 

Two American scientists shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research, done using the Advanced Photon Source, to capture the exact moment when protein receptors carried out their biological mission.

The Argonne Training Program on Extreme-Scale Computing (ATPESC), an intensive, two-week training course, was launched to equip participants with the skills needed to use the world’s most powerful supercomputers for scientific research. The annual program has hosted more than 900 researchers since its inception. 

First released in 2014, Argonne's Virtual Engine Research Institute and Fuels Initiative (VERIFI) continues to be the world's leading source for high-fidelity, three- dimensional, end-to-end combustion engine simulation/visualization and simultaneous powertrain and fuel simulation, with uncertainty analysis. VERIFI enables industry to reduce engine development timescales and costs and bring new innovations to market sooner.

Since first demonstrating the production, separation, and purification of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) in 2015, Argonne has gone on to support multiple potential domestic producers in developing techniques to produce Mo-99, the “parent” of the most widely used radioisotope in medical diagnostic imaging, technetium-99m. Used in more than 40 million medical diagnostic procedures each year, including heart stress tests and bone scans, technetium-99m was once available only via overseas producers of Mo-99. 

In 2015, Argonne led a major cosmological simulation that covered 13.8 billion years, modeling the evolution of the universe from 50 million years after the Big Bang to the present day. Run on the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the simulation generated 2.5 petabytes of data that would take several years to analyze.

Argonne patented a process for producing copper-67 (Cu-67), a promising “theranostic” medical isotope suitable for both targeted cancer therapy and diagnostic imaging. Through the Department of Energy’s Isotope Program, Argonne produced and distributed batches of Cu-67 in sufficient quantity and purity to fill the needs for radiopharmaceutical development and testing at that time.

Launched in 2016, Argonne’s Chain Reaction Innovations  program is helping startups turn their scientific discoveries into successful businesses. Through mentorship and resources, the program fosters innovation and economic growth, supporting entrepreneurs in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. 

Harnessing the power of Argonne’s Mira supercomputer, a team of scientists joined the DOE’s Ebola Task Force to study and halt the international Ebola health crisis. Using simulations in agent-based modeling in 2017, scientists assessed how entire populations might be affected if Ebola were to break out in the United States.

The South Pole Telescope, designed to make images of the oldest light in the universe, opened its third-generation camera in 2018 for a multi-year survey to observe the universe’s earliest moments. This camera contains 16,000 detectors manufactured in Argonne’s ultra-clean rooms — ten times as many detectors as used in the second-generation experiment.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, a team of Argonne researchers supported the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with long-term recovery planning and near-term investment prioritization for Puerto Rico’s critical infrastructure systems. Their goal: to make Puerto Rico’s energy, water, communications and transportation infrastructure more resilient and efficient in the future.

In 2018, funding was approved enabling Argonne, a member of the “Quantum Triangle” with Fermilab and the University of Chicago, to pursue four quantum information science (QIS) projects. The multidisciplinary nature of QIS can potentially pave the way for new computing and sensing technologies.

Argonne converted its decommissioned gas station into the Energy Plaza in 2018. The plaza is used to research integrating electric vehicle (EV) charging with the electric grid, reducing the cost of EV charging infrastructure and harmonizing global connectivity standards.

Argonne scientists leveraged their collective expertise in 2019 to make the nation’s electric grid — perhaps the largest and most complex machine ever assembled — more resilient against natural disasters and terrorism. Real-time resiliency and restoration tools help utilities, governments and other stakeholders predict the impact of disruption on operations and interdependent systems.

In 2019, Argonne launched the ReCell Center, the nation’s first lithium-ion battery recycling center focused specifically on the recycling process itself. Using materials recycled from lithium-ion batteries in new batteries can reduce production costs by 10–30%, lowering overall battery cost.

In 2020, Argonne, in collaboration with Northern Illinois University, discovered a new electrocatalyst that converts carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water into ethanol with very high energy efficiency and low cost. Ethanol is a particularly desirable end-product, as it is an ingredient in nearly all U.S. gasolines and is widely used in industry.

Scientists at Argonne joined forces with research institutions throughout the nation and world to combat the spread of COVID‑19. Using Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source, scientists determined more than 150 structures of the SARS-CoV-2 virus proteins, which are helpful in medicine and pharmaceuticals. Argonne's high-performance computing resources helped identify potential treatments and create models for predicting the spread of the virus in the Chicagoland area.

Using Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source, researchers demonstrated a combination of techniques that allowed them to peer inside a battery and track and measure ion movement as it operated. The new method could be the key to designing more efficient batteries for specific uses in transportation and other fields. 

Scientists from Argonne and the University of Chicago entangled photons across a 52-mile network in the Chicago suburbs, an important step in developing a national quantum internet. Headquartered at Argonne, the loop is among the longest land-based quantum networks in the nation. The quantum internet of the future will consist of a highly secure and far-reaching network of quantum computers and other quantum devices, ushering in a new era of communications.

For the first time, researchers used X-rays at the APS to bridge the gap between MRI images and electron microscopy to image an entire mouse brain across five orders of magnitude. The advance will allow researchers to connect biomarkers at the macro- and microscale and proves that it is possible to do whole-brain imaging.

Argonne became a founding partner of Duality, the first program in the U.S. to accelerate startup companies focused on quantum science and technology.

Argonne began installation of its Aurora exascale supercomputer, a massive system that occupies the space of two professional basketball courts and weighs 600 tons. 

Using Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials, Researchers at Argonne and partner institutions created a new qubit platform that shows great promise to be developed into ideal building blocks for future quantum computers.

Argonne launched the Polaris supercomputer to enable advances in large-scale simulations, AI-driven research and experimental data analysis. Built in partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Polaris also provided a GPU-powered machine that helped teams prepare for the lab’s forthcoming Aurora exascale system.

Construction of the Long Beamline Building (LBB), a new building as part of the APS Upgrade, started in 2020, and was completed in 2022. The LBB houses two of the nine new experiment stations. 

Argonne debuted a new facility dedicated to quantum properties. At the Argonne Quantum Foundry, a 6,000-square-foot research facility, scientists develop the materials and data needed for quantum information technology. 

The vaccine Arexvy was cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The RSV vaccine is based in part on data collected at the APS starting in 2009. 

For decades, scientists and engineers at Argonne have been helping the world’s medical isotope production facilities switch from the use of highly enriched uranium to the use of low-enriched uranium, which is much more difficult to use in military devices. The successful conversion of Belgium’s National Institute of Radioelements was the last step in completion of the effort.

University of Washington scientist David Baker was among three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2024. Baker, a longtime user of the ALCF and the APS at Argonne, received the prize for using supercomputers and X-ray data to understand how chains of amino acids fold into functional proteins, a process essential to all life.

After shutting down in 2023 for 12 months to upgrade the machine by removing and installing the new storage ring and commissioning, the APS came back online and was dedicated in 2024. It set a world record for electron beam emittance, which measures the brightness of the X-ray beams the facility can generate. The APS is now the brightest synchrotron X-ray light source in the world.

DOE selected Argonne to lead a new national energy storage hub, the Energy Storage Research Alliance. This consortium unites top researchers from three national labs and 11 universities to enable transformative discoveries in materials chemistry and spur next-gen energy storage breakthroughs.

Argonne’s Natural Convection Shutdown Heat Removal Test Facility successfully simulated nuclear reactor cooling without relying on power or human operators. This latest demonstration of passive safety systems could lead to safer and more efficient reactor designs.

The Minerals to Materials Supply Chain Research Facility (METALLIC) federates capabilities and expertise across nine DOE national laboratories to support the establishment of critical mineral and material domestic (CMM) supply chains with technology development, validation, scale-up, and workforce development. Argonne contributes to all four of these centers of expertise, as well as enabling activities that bring together data, analysis, automation and AI to accelerate these CMM supply chain activities.   

Argonne joined DOE, NVIDIA, Oracle, HPE and World Wide Technology to announce the deployment of five new AI supercomputers. These systems will further expand the nation’s AI infrastructure.

Argonne announced its part in DOE’s Genesis Mission, a historic effort to transform American science and innovation through the power of AI, strengthening the nation’s technological leadership and global competitiveness and delivering breakthroughs in energy dominance, scientific discovery and national security.

Originally launched in 2020, Q-NEXT, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by Argonne and DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, was renewed for an additional $125 million investment that will accelerate progress in quantum communication, sensing and scalable quantum networks for information processing.

Argonne’s Aurora exascale supercomputer was released to researchers across the world. Built in partnership with Intel and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Aurora delivers powerful simulation, artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis capabilities, driving breakthroughs in a range of fields including airplane design, cosmology, drug discovery and nuclear energy research.

In a collaboration between Argonne and Intel, researchers investigate the performance of Intel’s 12-qubit processor, which is based on quantum dots in silicon. Led by Q-NEXT, a DOE National Quantum Information Science Research Center hosted by Argonne, the industry-national-lab project builds on decades of expertise in silicon transistor manufacturing to advance quantum dot technology.