Sandia earned eight honors in the 2025 R&D 100 Awards, including seven technology awards and the program’s Researcher of the Year professional award. Hosted by R&D World, the awards recognize 100 of the year’s most significant technological advancements worldwide.
“This is a big year for Sandia,” said Doug Kothe, associate laboratories director and Sandia’s chief research officer. “The R&D 100 Awards are sometimes called the ‘Oscars of invention’ because they are so competitive. Winning eight in one year is incredible. It’s a new record for the Labs.”
The 2025 honorees reflect a research portfolio built for hard environments and high consequences. Several winning projects focus on sensing, measurement and detection, tools that can improve decision-making when conditions are extreme, time is limited or safety is at stake. Others advance materials and diagnostics that help scientists better understand how systems behave under intense heat, pressure or electrical stress.
Together, the projects offer a snapshot of the kinds of problems Sandia is tackling now and the solutions teams are pushing toward next.
Sandia’s 2025 R&D 100 Award winners
Electro-optical sensor for high-energy environments and applications
Sandia’s electro-optical sensor measures voltages up to 20 million volts without physical contact, using a dime-sized crystal and a compact laser system. The sensor is designed to improve safety and reliability for high-energy environments. Applications range from lightning and high-energy physics research to electrical utility monitoring. Watch the video.
Colorized Hyperspectral X-Ray Imaging with Multi-Metal Targets, or CHXI-MMT
CHXI-MMT combines nanopatterned metal X-ray sources with advanced detection methods to deliver high-resolution X-ray images and precise material characterization. The process reduces reliance on costly accelerator facilities and could expand options for biomedical imaging, transportation security, nondestructive testing and advanced manufacturing. Watch the video.
Fentanyl Analog Independent Detector, or FAID
FAID is a portable device designed to identify fentanyl and its analogs, even in trace amounts or mixed substances. Unlike traditional detection systems, the device recognizes chemical patterns without relying on extensive reference libraries. The technology could benefit military personnel, emergency responders and law enforcement. Watch the video.
Low coefficient of thermal expansion molecules for polymers
Sandia researchers developed a molecule designed to reduce thermal expansion mismatch in polymers, which can help prevent failures in harsh environments where temperature swings cause materials to expand and contract at different rates, leading to stress and potential damage. By incorporating this molecule into the polymer, manufacturers could eliminate fillers, lower costs, make processing easier and improve durability for bonded materials. Potential applications include industrial settings and the aerospace, automotive and electronics industries. Watch the video.
Hafnia gate dielectrics for energy conversion
The material improves energy efficiency in power semiconductors by minimizing energy losses, which is critical amid growing demand from AI, data centers and global electrification. Hafnia gate dielectrics can be used cost-effectively in many applications, including transportation and smart grids. Watch the video.
Bleeding materials and enclosures
Sandia researchers developed tamper-indicating enclosures using affordable materials that irreversibly change color if tampered with. The materials support rapid, conclusive inspections and enhance security for applications ranging from medication packaging to national security containers. The team has received NNSA tech maturation grant funds and is refining a prototype enclosure for a potential transition pathway to industry. Watch the video.
Time-resolved diffraction for the National Ignition Facility
Sandia developed hybrid sensors that enable precise measurements of materials under extreme conditions such as high pressures and temperatures. The innovation supports high-energy-density research, including fusion ignition and Earth core studies.
2025 R&D 100 Researcher of the Year: Hongyou Fan
Sandia materials scientist Hongyou Fan was named Researcher of the Year for contributions to chemical science, nanoscience. and materials science. His work has driven advanced in nanoelectronics, energy and materials.” separation. He has earned 24 patents, six previous R&D 100 awards and recognition from multiple professional societies.
Laboratory Directed Research and Development drives innovation
Awards recognize results, but the work behind them typically spans years. For many R&D 100 winners, early progress begins with a small, high-leverage investment that lets teams test an idea quickly, prove feasibility and decide whether it is worth scaling.
That’s where Sandia’s Laboratory Directed Research and Development program often comes in. LDRD provides seed funding for early-stage research so teams can explore promising concepts, reduce technical risk and build the foundation for follow-on investment through mission programs, sponsor funding or partnerships. Sixv of Sandia’s seven 2025 R&D 100 awards were rooted in research supported by LDRD.
“Creativity and innovation are really the lifeblood of research and development,” said Dan Sinars, director of the Chief Research Office, which runs Sandia’s LDRD program. “We support over 500 LDRD projects each year, spanning every mission area of Sandia, and our impact assessments reveal that exploratory LDRD ideas from over a decade ago have matured into amazing technologies and capabilities today. This year’s R&D 100 awards are a great exemplar of that.”
Since 1965, Sandia has earned 169 R&D 100 awards, including this year’s winners.
“When Sandia began, scientists and engineers were charged with transforming visionary concepts into meaningful outcomes and that work is still very much alive at the Labs today,” Doug said. “In a rapidly evolving world, our spirit of resourcefulness remains critical to the mission and to society as a whole. I’m so proud that our teams continue to push the forefront of research and technology.”