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Material Measurement Laboratory

Projects/Programs

Displaying 451 - 475 of 576
Photograph of a long pink flame against a black background, emanating from a torch, with small blue cone near the base of the nozzle.

Real Fuels

Ongoing
The variability of the price of oil, the need for energy efficiency and pollution minimization has led to increasing interest in alternative fuels. These fuels are structurally and compositionally different than the conventional fuels presently used.  Past work on conventional fuels have established...
Graphic depicting the complexity of reclaimed and recaptured plastics. Textiles (arm chair, t-shirt, and spool of yarn), plastic containers (jug, rectangular food containers, and bag), and gaoline pump - along with chemical structures surround a globe with the bottom half covered with three buildings and half of a mechanical gear.

Recaptured and Reclaimed Plastic Measurements

Paused
Plastics are a complex mixture of various polymer types with different chemical structures, shapes, and chemical additives. From microscopic nanoplastics (as small as 1 nm) to large megaplastics (over 1 m), plastic pollution poses significant measurement science challenges. By developing accurate...
A collage of REFPROP screens

Reference Fluid Thermodynamic and Transport Properties Database (REFPROP)

Ongoing
REFPROP is a computer program, distributed through the Standard Reference Data program of NIST, that provides thermophysical properties of pure fluids and mixtures over a wide range of fluid conditions including liquid, gas, and supercritical phases. It contains critically evaluated mathematical...
One unit of RM 8038 contains 3 tubes for the H5_HA, N1_NA, and MP RNA fragments.

Reference Material 8038 H5N1 (Avian Influenza) Synthetic RNA Fragments

Completed
In response to the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak, NIST has developed a Reference Material (RM) for PCR-based assays. This material contains 3 vials with RNA fragments for HA (Part A), NA (Part B), and MP (Part C). The Reference Material Information Sheet (RMIS) for this material contains information...
Photo showing the production of Salmon Standard Reference Material

Reference Material Production and Support

Ongoing
Bulk Cryogenic Production Large-batch cryogenic reference materials are produced using a specialized Palla VM-KT Vibrating Cryomill. The mill is pre-cooled to cryogenic temperatures using liquid nitrogen. Frozen material is fed through the inlet funnel to a vibrating chamber containing 26 titanium...
Color coded refrigerant bottles

Refrigerants and Working Fluids

Ongoing
We apply a wide range of experimental apparatus to the task of measuring the properties of working fluids. Many of these instruments are the same as those used in our work on standard reference fluids, and our data for working fluids approach the accuracy of the reference fluids. Thermodynamic...
CNT_interconnect_failure

Reliability Metrologies for Advanced Electronic Interconnects

Completed
High-performance devices, such as microprocessors and memory chips, are typically composed of structures with strict dimensional tolerances and geometries and are made up of various materials, all in close proximity in a three-dimensional system. Material interactions lead to reliability issues such...
Closeup of a plane's jet engine as it flies above the clouds.

Renewable Energy and Fuels

Ongoing
Fuel volatility and chemical characterization. We specialize in the Advanced Distillation Curve (ADC) method, developed at NIST, which is a powerful tool for the measurement of distillation curves to characterize complex fluids. We have applied this to simple hydrocarbons, gasolines, diesel fuels...

Renewable Polymers

Completed
In this project, use innovative measurements to optimize existing materials synthesis and discover new routes to polymers from renewable feedstocks by providing characterization methods that can describe the mechanisms and of enzymatic catalysis of polymers from renewable feedstocks and synthetic...
RDaF lifecycle graphic

Research Data Framework (RDaF)

Ongoing
What is the Research Data Framework? A map of the research data space: who, what, where, why, when? A dynamic guide for the various stakeholders in research data to understand best practices for research data management and dissemination A resource for understanding costs, benefits, and risks...

Resonating Platforms for Microbial, Environmental, and Materials Sensing

Ongoing
The high sensitivity of resonating piezoelectric crystals to surface perturbations has led to quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) being widely used to measure changes in mass of thin films and adhered nanoparticles or cells. This project proceeds beyond this traditional sensing approach with quartz...

RMAT Laboratory Programs

Ongoing
Examples of Current Activities: Cell Counting and viability are key measurements critical for decision making from R&D to manufacturing. We recently developed an approach for evaluating the quality of cell counting measurements through experimental design and statistical analysis that does not...
ctRSD toolkit overview

RNA Computation and Metrology for Engineering Biology

Ongoing
RNA computation RNA computation, i.e., programmed interactions between RNA molecules that process information, is an increasingly useful synthetic biology tool with applications spanning in vitro biosensing, synthetic cells, and cellular control. We have developed cotranscriptionally encoded RNA...
STG

Safety and Security Technologies

Ongoing
The safety and security of citizens is enhanced when law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and the military use the appropriate and properly performing equipment and technologies. To ensure these entities have the necessary equipment, the STG conducts and performs research to advance these...
Illustration of the five primary features of STAR software, depicted as a blue star.

Sample Tracking and Analytical Reporting (STAR)

Ongoing
STAR (formerly known as Marine STAR) will develop a web-based interface to provide easy access to sample information from the NIST Biorepository. Information will include, but is not limited to, sample availability, chemical analysis status and results, and links to publications. Metadata associated...
Epidemiologist in protective suit, mask and glasses works with patient swabs to detect specific region of 2019-nCoV virus causing Covid-19

SARS-CoV-2 Research Grade Test Material

Completed
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a synthetic RNA material for SARS-CoV-2 in June 2020. The goal was to rapidly produce a material to support molecular diagnostic testing applications. This material, referred to as Research Grade Test...
The SPMforAMP project develops novel SPM methods

Scanning Probe Microscopy for Advanced Materials and Processes

Ongoing
With a nanometer-sharp probe capable of delicate interaction with a limitless array of materials, SPM methods such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) can aid in characterizing a wide range of materials in diverse environments from vacuum to biological serums. The atomic force microscope is operated in...
Images of SRM 3461 device and enlarged view of the cantilever arrays at one end

Scanning Probe Microscopy Calibrations and Standards

Ongoing
The Nanomechanical Properties Group has expertise in a wide variety of SPM techniques, especially atomic force microscopy (AFM); however, the main research thrust for the Group’s standards project area deals with accurate cantilever stiffness calibration and the use and development of AFM methods...
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