For more than 30 years, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped shape the future of high-temperature alloys, translating fundamental materials research into industrial impact. That expertise proved pivotal for Duraloy Technologies , whose long-standing partnership with ORNL transformed the company's trajectory and set a benchmark for sustained public-private collaboration.
When Duraloy changed ownership in 1994, the company was nearly bankrupt and constrained by outdated materials. The new leadership team, including Vice President Roman Pankiw, recognized that rebuilding the company's technological foundation would require access to world-class alloy science - and ORNL, long recognized as a global leader in advanced materials, became a central partner in that effort.
ORNL's leadership in alloy development spans decades, with landmark contributions to nickel-based alloys, aluminides and other materials designed to operate in extreme environments. That deep metallurgical expertise has supported industries ranging from energy and manufacturing to aerospace, positioning the laboratory as a national resource for moving materials science from the lab to real-world deployment.
Pankiw had already learned about a promising material developed at ORNL called IC-221M, a cast nickel aluminide alloy designed for industrial heat treatment applications. Highlighted in technical trade publications, it immediately stood out for its high-temperature durability. For end users like steel mills , components exposed to extreme heat can warp or degrade, often damaging the steel products they help process. IC-221M offered a solution: its structure could withstand high temperatures while forming a protective aluminum oxide layer, reducing downtime and product loss. After initiating conversations with the lab's researchers in 1995, Duraloy and ORNL began what would become a decades-long partnership.
One new alloy, a dozen breakthroughs in performance
Over several years, Duraloy and ORNL worked together to refine IC-221M and test it in steel mill environments. The results became clear around 2002, when the alloy proved its value in real-world installations. Unlike traditional nickel-chromium-iron alloys, which often deformed under high heat and damaged the steel they processed, IC-221M offered improved structural integrity and required far less maintenance.
The change was significant. Plants that had once shut down every couple of weeks to condition worn components could now run continuously, saving time, energy and money. The alloy's performance also allowed operators to raise furnace temperatures, improving overall process efficiency.
IC-221M's unique composition - primarily nickel with about 13 percent aluminum - made it fundamentally different from other materials on the market. As a structural ordered intermetallic, it introduced a new class of performance in high-temperature environments.
While the alloy's peak usage was in the early 2000s, it became the foundation for a new generation of materials. The knowledge gained from IC-221M directly influenced the development of more advanced alloys, such as Duraloy's TMA6350, which is now widely used in chemical plants. These newer materials have expanded Duraloy's reach beyond the steel industry into petrochemical processing, aerospace, heat treatment and powder metal applications. The alloys are now used in parts ranging from spiral retorts and furnace rolls to titanium forming dies and high-temperature supports.
"Our business has grown exponentially because of these developments," Pankiw said. The company's success in markets like ethylene cracking furnaces and powder metal applications stems from alloy systems that outperform conventional materials and form protective aluminum oxide scales in extreme heat.
The partnership with ORNL has been more than a series of licenses. For nearly 30 years, Duraloy and ORNL researchers have collaborated closely, maintaining frequent communication and working together to bridge R&D and commercialization. Together, they have brought multiple alloys to market, including H-series and alumina-forming austenitic alloys, developed with support from DOE, highlighting how sustained public-private research drives industrial innovation.
Pankiw emphasized the value ORNL brings, including extensive equipment, top-tier technical staff and deep metallurgical expertise - resources that many private manufacturers can no longer afford to maintain in-house. This collaboration model, where the lab develops a material and the company scales it for production and market adoption, has proven effective - and was recognized with a Federal Laboratory Consortium Excellence in Technology Transfer Award .
Still, challenges remain. As Duraloy works to scale its latest alloys, global competition - particularly from manufacturers supported by foreign governments - creates pressure to reduce costs without sacrificing performance. ORNL continues to support these efforts, helping identify lower-cost formulations and production techniques that retain the material's high efficiency.
Pankiw sees Duraloy's long-term relationship with ORNL as a model for public-private innovation. For companies considering similar partnerships, he recommends building strong, open lines of communication with lab researchers and, when possible, involving end users in pilot projects to accelerate adoption.
"It all starts with the material," he said. "But it's the partnership that turns the material into impact."
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, the Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science . - Neil Gillette
