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Material Measurement Laboratory

Materials Measurement Science Division

Projects/Programs

Displaying 76 - 99 of 99

Radioanalytical Metrology

Ongoing
The Group engages in a wide range of methods applicable to the detection and characterization of nuclear materials. The work can benefit environmental studies, waste remediation, naturally occurring radioactivity detection and characterization and general radioanalytical metrology. Expertise in
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
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

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Ion Source Development

Ongoing
In SIMS, a typical analysis requires <1% of the surface to be sampled, which minimizes chemical damage in the form of molecular fragmentation due to energetic ion bombardment. Cluster sources such as C 60 and Ar GCIB allow for efficient removal of the damage volume, and by operating the analysis and

Sensing and Imaging of concealed objects

Ongoing
Threats to personal and collective safety abound in our society. The Security Technologies Group (STG) performs research to advance the technology and measurement science of security imaging and sensing. This work includes the establishment of test and evaluation tools, reference test beds, test

Standards

Ongoing
Standards for Optical Based Standoff Detection NIST is researching methods for creating explosive threat materials standards relevant to optical detection technologies (e.g. that result in samples with particle morphologies similar to those found in explosive threat devices). This includes both
Images depicting an advanced analysis of HR-EBSD data

Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices and Packages

Ongoing
Strain is a critical parameter that influences both electrical and mechanical failures of devices, however, measuring strain in complex 3D geometries and vanishingly small feature sizes remains a challenge for manufacturers. Data provided by strain measurements can be used to validate computational
EBSD measurement on 63nm SiGe line

Strain Measurement for Semiconductor Devices

Ongoing
Mechanical strain is hugely important to semiconductor devices and packages while also being difficult to measure accurately. Strain is engineered into CMOS channels to improve carrier mobility for higher performance at lower power but is also intrinsically present from manufacturing processes where

Structure-Property Relationships for High-Strength Materials

Ongoing
The body-armor community generally bases armor design on empirical models that do not directly relate molecular properties to performance. Aramid, aramid copolymers, and polyethylene fibers are highly oriented, anisotropic fibers that require specialized characterization techniques. In addition
subnanoscale electron microscopy figure

Sub-nanoscale electron microscopy of complex nanostructures

Ongoing
The properties of advance materials are becoming ever more reliant on the ability to manipulate their chemistry and structure at very fine length scales. For example, the relevant feature sizes in state-of-the-art transistors continue to decrease, even as the complexity of the architectures employed

Surface Desorption Ambient Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing
The Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group maintains a range of research avenues into the characterization, analysis, and optimization of various commercial and in-house developed surface desorption ion sources. These research avenues also aim to advance our fundamental understanding of the

Synchrotron Resonant Scattering and Diffraction

Ongoing
The Resonant Scattering and Diffraction effort seeks to develop measurements that provide spatial correlations in chemical, electronic, and physical structure in advanced materials. Scattering technology is developed as part of the NIST BNL partnership at the National Synchrotron Light Source II in

Synchrotron X-ray Absorbance Spectroscopy

Ongoing
The Absorbance Spectroscopy effort seeks to develop measurements that provide details of the local chemical, electronic, and physical structure in advanced materials. Spectrometer technology is developed as part of the NIST BNL partnership at the National Synchrotron Light Source II in Upton, NY

Synchrotron X-ray Spectroscopic Imaging

Ongoing
Building off technologies and expertise developed in the Synchrotron X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy project, the Spectroscopic Imaging effort seeks to develop measurements that provide spatial mapping of the local chemical, electronic, and physical structure in advanced materials. Technology is
Project Infographic for synthesis and longevity of candidate direct air capture (DAC) materials

Synthesis and longevity of candidate direct air capture (DAC) materials

Ongoing
We have been working on the identification and development of repeatable synthesis techniques for DAC materials for the purposes of generating repeatable samples for evaluating DAC characterization techniques. We have initially focused on impregnated and grafted aminosilane-silica materials. We are

Thermal Desorption Ambient Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing
The Surface and Trace Chemical Analysis Group is involved in a number of research avenues for the rapid screening of wipe-collected samples for the security and forensic chemistry fields. Similar to the widely-deploy ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) systems for screening, this is accomplished through

Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Ongoing
ToF-SIMS is an imaging mass spectrometry (MS) technique that allows us to obtain isotopic, elemental, and molecular information from the surface of solid samples. A pulsed, energetic “primary” ion beam bombards the surface and induces a collision cascade, liberating “secondary” ions that are then
Photo of blood droplets

Toxicology

Ongoing
Development of Low-Volume Drop Blood Drug Screening Tools This project aims to leverage recent NIST advances in ambient ionization mass spectrometry to develop platforms for low-volume blood drug screening. Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) and Paper Spray Ionization Mass

Trace Contraband Detection

Ongoing
Screening of people and their belongings including luggage, vehicles, and packages for the presence of trace residues of explosives and narcotics (trace contraband detection) is widely used in aviation security and law enforcement. In common screening scenarios, trace contraband residues in the form

Training for Screeners and Lab Staff

Ongoing
Advances in primary screening technologies (x-ray, CT, AIT) have allowed the detection and discrimination of bulk quantities of potentially dangerous compounds on people or in bags. However, a secondary screening method - typically based on trace detection - is still required for correct
SRM 3452 certified Seebeck coefficient data

Transport Property Measurements for Semiconductors and Energy Materials

Ongoing
The properties of materials and interfaces that govern reliability, performance, and thermal transport in advanced microelectronic packages are not fully characterized or understood, especially at device length scales wherein properties may differ significantly from bulk or literature values
Catalyst Testbed

X-ray Testbed for Breakthrough Catalyst Measurements

Ongoing
Interested in collaborating? See below What does this project do for industry? Current measurement techniques are unable to follow the reaction pathways during catalysis and are limited to observing only the end products or looking at catalysts outside of realistic reaction conditions. Our new
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