The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Material Measurement Laboratory

Materials Measurement Science Division

Projects/Programs

Keyword

Topic Area

High-throughput (Combinatorial) "Foundry" for Inorganic Materials: "Data on Demand"

We develop combinatorial measurement methods and metrologies for the rapid generation of comprehensive and consistent datasets. Manufacturers of devices based

Ab initio theoretical modeling for predicting structure and properties in advanced materials

We develop first-principles-based methods for prediction of atomic arrangements and properties in advanced materials and develop tools for the prediction and

Investigating the Diameter-Dependence of Elastic Moduli of Zinc Oxide Nanowires using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

As part of NIST's response to the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI), this project addresses conflicting reports of the diameter-dependence of elastic moduli of

Machine Learning for High Throughput Materials Discovery and Optimization Applications

We are developing machine learning algorithms to accelerate the discovery and optimization of advanced materials. These new algorithms form part of a data

Mapping of Strain Fields and Phase Distributions of Indented Si using Raman-Spectroscopy Enhanced Instrumented Indentation Technique (IIT)

In Raman-spectroscopy enhanced IIT, an indentation device that is coupled with a Raman microscope to conduct in situ spectroscopic and optical analysis of

Materials and Systems for Protection Against Penetrating and Blunt Force Phenomena

Penetrating and blunt force phenomena can cause serious trauma. The STG performs research to advance materials science and metrology for materials and equipment

Measurement and Prediction of Local Structure

Our goal is to provide analytical tools that allow measurement and prediction of local structure to enable the development of ceramic materials for electronic

Measurement Standards

The use of standards is considered a critical component in the assurance of analytical quality, allowing reliable measures of detection limits, accuracy, and

Measurements of Point-Defect Chemistry in Complex Oxides

All inorganic materials contain point defects in the form of impurities, interstitials, or vacancies. Common imaging techniques fail to capture these defects

Measurements, Standards, and Data for Energy Conversion Materials

The Measurements, Standards, and Data for Energy Conversion Materials Project provides the underpinning measurement science needed to support the development

Measurements and Standards for Thermoelectric Materials

Our goal is to develop standard reference materials (SRMs), measurement methodologies, and comprehensive data sets (Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity

Multiscale structure and dynamics in advanced technological materials

This project develops and applies metrologies and standards for characterizing microstructure and dynamics in heterogeneous or porous materials of technological

Nanocalorimetry Measurements

Nanocalorimetry Measurements provide a capability to measure heats of reaction of nanoscale samples with nanojoule sensitivity to detect reactions and quantify

Nanomaterials in consumer products

Nanometer Scale Measurements of Crack Tips in Glass

Our objective is to develop atomic force microscopy-based methods to measure the structure of crack tips, the rates of crack growth, and the roughness of

Nanometrology: Composition and Structure of Nanomaterials

Advances in methods, instrumentation and analysis protocols are developed to enhance measurement science capabilities in nanomaterial elemental and

Nanoscale Mechanics by Contact Resonance Atomic Force Microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) provides unique accessibility at the nanoscale. Capabilities in terms of nanoscale mechanical property measurements are added to

Nanoscale Strength Measurements and Standards

To develop new mechanical test structures and methodologies based on microelectromechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) manufacturing

Nanoscale Stress Measurements and Standards

Our objective is to develop accurate measurement methods for the nanoscale stress distributions and surface defects that control device performance and

Nuclear Materials Characterization

Picture of PBD set up for wavelength measurement

Powder Diffraction SRMs

The work carried out under this project creates a wide variety of X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) used to calibrate and

Precision X-ray Emission Line Measurements

The PBD is making new, state-of-the-art measurements of the wavelengths of select atomic X-ray emission lines. These measurements underpin all precision x-ray

Safety and Security Technologies

The safety and security of citizens is enhanced when law enforcement and “criminal justice” agencies and the military use the appropriate and properly

A Scalable Platform for Integrating Horizontal Nanochannels with Known Registries to Microchannels

Controlling the location and orientation of nanobuilding blocks in assemblies of nanodevices is a challenging task in "bottom-up" chemical approaches for

Scanning Probe Microscopy Measurement and Standards

Our goal is to develop standard reference materials and quantitative, reproducible, measurement methods and protocols for scanning probe microscopes, to enable

Advanced communications
-Optical communications
-Quantum communications
-Wireless (RF)
Bioscience
-Biomaterials
-Biomolecular characterization
-Bioprocessing
-Cell biology
-Engineering / synthetic biology
-Genomics
-Glycomics
-Metabolomics
-Microbial measurements
-Proteomics
Buildings and Construction
-Building codes and standards
-Building control systems
-Building damage and repair
-Building economics
-Building materials
-Heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment
-Indoor air quality
-Resilient buildings
-Structural engineering
-Sustainable buildings
Chemistry
-Analytical chemistry
-Chemical engineering and processing
-Chemical thermodynamics and chemical properties
-Molecular characterization
-Theoretical chemistry and modeling
-Thermochemical properties
Electronics
-Electromagnetics
-Flexible electronics
-Magnetoelectronics
-Optoelectronics
-Organic electronics
-Semiconductors
-Sensors
-Superconducting electronics
Energy
-Alternative energy
-Conventional energy
-Electric power / smart grid
-Energy efficiency
-Fuels
-Sustainability
Environment
-Air / water / soil quality
-Environmental health
-Greenhouse gas measurements
-Marine science
Fire
-Emergency building evacuation
-Fire detection
-Fire dynamics and science
-Fire fighting
-Fire modeling
-Fire risk reduction
-Materials flammability
-Structural fire resistance
-Wildland urban interface fire
Forensic Science
-Ballistics
-Digital evidence
-DNA and biological evidence
-Drugs and toxicology
-Fingerprints and pattern evidence
-Trace evidence
Health
-Clinical diagnostics
-Dentistry
-Food and nutrition
-Medical imaging
-Pharmaceuticals
-Precision medicine
-Regenerative medicine
Information technology
-Artificial intelligence
-Biometrics
-Cloud computing and virtualization
-Complex systems
-Computational science
-Conformance testing
-Cyber-physical systems
--Smart cities
-Cybersecurity
--Configuration and vulnerability management
--Cryptography
--Cybersecurity education and workforce development
--Risk management
-Data and informatics
--Human language technology
--Information retrieval
--Natural language processing
-Data enry
-Federal information standards (FIPS)
-Health IT
-Identity and access management
-Internet of Things (IoT)
-Interoperability testing
-Mobile
-Networking
--Mobile and wireless networking
--Network management and monitoring
--Network modeling and analysis
--Network security and robustness
--Network test and measurement
--Next generation networks
--Protocol design and standardization
--Software defined and virtual networks
-Privacy
-Software research
--Software assurance
--Software performance
--Software testing
-Usability and human factors
--Accessibility
-Video analytics
-Visualization research
-Voting systems
Infrastructure
Manufacturing
-Additive manufacturing
-Biomanufacturing
-Factory communications
-Factory operations planning and control
-Interoperability in manufacturing
-Machining
-Manufacturing systems design and analysis
-Monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics
-Process improvement
-Process measurement and control
-Product data
-Quality assurance
-Robotics in manufacturing
--Agility and adaptability
--Collaborative robots
--Dexterous grasping
--Industrial autonomous vehicles
--Mobile manipulators
--Navigation / actuation / control
--Sensing and perception
-Supply chain
-Sustainable manufacturing
-Systems engineering
-Systems integration
-Technology commercialization
Materials
-Ceramics
-Composites
-Concrete / cement
-Materials characterization
--Composition and structure
--Magnetic properties
--Mechanical properties
--Thermal properties
-Metals
-Modeling and computational material science
-Polymers
-Superconductors
Mathematics and Statistics
-Experiment design
-Image and signal processing
-Mathematical knowledge management
-Modeling and simulation research
-Numerical methods and software
-Statistical analysis
-Uncertainty quantification
Metrology
-Acoustic / vibration metrology
-Amount of substance
-Dimensional metrology
-Electrical / electromagnetic metrology
-Flow metrology and rheology
-Force metrology
-Humidity metrology
-Ionizing radiation metrology
-Mass metrology
-Metric
-Optical / photometry / laser metrology
-Pressure and vacuum metrology
-Thermometry metrology
-Time and frequency metrology
-Weights and measures
Nanotechnology
-Nanobiotechnology
-Nanochemistry
-Nanoelectronics
-Nanofabrication / manufacturing
--Lithography
--Self-assembly
-Nanofluidics
-Nanomagnetics
-Nanomaterials
-Nanomechanics
-Nanometrology
-Nanophotonics
-Nanophysics
-Nanoplasmonics
Neutron research
Performance excellence
-Assessment tools and services
-Baldrige award
-Baldrige examiners
-Baldrige Framework and Criteria
-Best practices
-Leadership development
Physics
-Atomic / molecular / quantum
-Biological physics
-Condensed matter
-Electron physics
-Magnetics
-Nuclear physics
-Optical physics
-Quantum information science
-Radiation
-Spectroscopy
-Thermodynamics
-Time and frequency
Public safety
-Chemical / Biological / Radiological / Nuclear / Explosives (CBRNE)
-First responder preparedness
-Law enforcement
-Physical security
-Public safety communications research
-Response robots
--Aerial
--Aquatic and underwater
--Ground
Resilience
-Community resilience
-Disaster and failure studies
-Earthquake risk reduction
-Resilient materials
-Windstorm impact reduction
Standards
-Accreditation
-Calibration services
-Conformity assessment
-Documentary standards
-Frameworks
-Reference data
-Reference instruments
-Reference materials
-Standards education
Transportation
-Aerospace
-Automotive
-Rail