Fluid Characterization Group

The Fluid Characterization Group is part of the Applied Chemicals and Materials Division (ACMD) on the NIST Boulder campus. We develop and validate novel methods, instrumentation, and chemical mixtures to solve multidisciplinary challenges in forensic science, public health and safety, and industry. We are currently focused on improving the metrology associated with clinical and forensic breath tests. This work ranges from fundamental property measurements, such as vapor pressure measurements on target molecules, to application-specific considerations, such as evaluating breath sampling strategies and validating breathalyzer devices. Another important focus area is the measurement of chemical equilibrium by quantitative NMR spectroscopy. Two highlights from this work are novel measurements of vapor-liquid equilibrium with applications to advanced refrigeration and energy distribution and measurements of ion-pairing in solution with applications to battery development and industrial separation processes. We collaborate with computational experts, statisticians, sensor and device developers, public health researchers, and numerous university, industrial and government partners. 

The group’s analytical capabilities include an extensive suite of instrumentation and staff with decades of specialized experience in gas and liquid chromatography, headspace analysis, mass spectrometry, and quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Our NMR Facility includes a high-field (600 MHz) NMR spectrometer with a suite of NMR probes, as well as a benchtop (60 MHz) instrument. We specialize in NMR measurements on liquids and gases over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. We also maintain a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) Facility.