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Displaying 1 - 25 of 70

An elongated test instrument with steel cylinders that rapidly heats and applies force to a material.

Spotlight: Test Instrument Puts Materials Under Forces at High Speeds to Mimic Many Instantaneous Situations in the Real World

March 16, 2024

This elongated test instrument, the first of its kind in the world, puts materials under two extreme conditions in fractions of seconds.

Historical newspaper photo shows a large ship in port with a crack down the center, splitting it almost in half.

Spotlight: The Unfortunate Origin of a NIST Metal Toughness Program Still Going Strong

October 19, 2023

A series of catastrophic failures in U.S. ships during World War II prompted the start of a program still in existence and going strong at NIST.

Jake Benzing wears safety glasses as he bends over to adjust piece of scientific equipment in the lab.

Spotlight: Searching for 3D-Printed Titanium’s Breaking Point With Jake Benzing

May 24, 2023

We have researchers who break stuff so that others can live their lives without stuff breaking down prematurely.

$Diagram shows X-rays diffraction during 3D printing, with colorized microscopic image showing the orientation of different grains within the material.$

By Cracking a Metal 3D-Printing Conundrum, Researchers Propel the Technology Toward Widespread Application

March 20, 2023

Gaps in our understanding of what happens within metal during the process have made results inconsistent. But a new breakthrough could grant an unprecedented

Side-by-side micrographs show elongated grains inside 3D-printed stainless steel.

Researchers Uncover How to 3D-Print One of the Strongest Stainless Steels

September 22, 2022

High-energy X-rays lit a path forward.

A tiny glass vial on a white stand has a copper headphone-shaped structure over it.

Custom ‘Headphones’ Boost Atomic Radio Reception 100-Fold

May 23, 2022

The structure — a square overhead loop connecting two square panels — increases the incoming radio signal, or electric field, applied to the gaseous atoms in

NIST Reference Material for Hydrogen in Titanium Now in Pin Form

August 16, 2021

Hydrogen in titanium and other metal alloys can cause embrittlement, leading to fractures in manufactured parts. A popular NIST reference material for

Chilled superconducting nanowires

Detecting mid-infrared light, one photon at a time

June 1, 2021

For some 30 years, scientists have used superconducting materials to record the tiniest specks of light imaginable — individual photons, or single particles of

New Research Could Help Manufacturers Avoid 3D-Printing Pitfall

May 19, 2021

A research team has found that a method commonly used to skirt one of metal 3D printing’s biggest problems may be far from a silver bullet. For manufacturers

Gray ovals on blue background are linked to curved gray lines.

NIST Team Directs and Measures Quantum Drum Duet

May 6, 2021

Like conductors of a spooky symphony, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have “entangled” two small mechanical drums and

microscopic, cross-section view of a defect within a 3D-printed titanium part

Spotlight: Getting Familiar With the Lifespan of 3D-Printed Parts

April 26, 2021

All manufactured materials have defects that can ultimately lead to their failure. But even with that known truth, people are turning away from a new

Microscope image shows blue and green jagged shapes

Spotlight: Exploring Potential Corrosion in 3D-Printed Titanium

February 12, 2021

Putting the metalloid to the metal, researchers at Boise State University developed a new way to explore how a 3D-printed titanium alloy corrodes, and then

Alloy mapping shows areas in red, blue, and and other colors.

Spotlight: Unique Alloy for the Automotive Industry

January 25, 2021

Hypothetical scenario: A car hurtles toward a tree and swerves to avoid it when the passenger door meets timber and deforms around it. As the driver, you don't

A man (Zhi Liang) wearing dark safety goggles leans over a table, working with scientific equipment.

Spotlight: Computing the Properties of a Titan Among Manufacturing Materials

September 26, 2020

Improve the material; improve life. NIST postdoctoral researcher Zhi Liang believes the development of humanity depends on the development of materials, and few

three in one scanning probe module

Atomic ‘Swiss Army Knife’ Precisely Measures Materials for Quantum Computers

July 6, 2020

It images single atoms. It maps atomic-scale hills and valleys on metal and insulating surfaces. And it records the flow of current across atom-thin materials

NIST Software Aids the Analysis of Instrumented Charpy Tests

June 9, 2020

To help labs characterize the toughness of steel, a new software package allows analysis of instrumented Charpy tests, or Charpy tests augmented with strain

Getting a closer look at living cells and batteries: a little bit of graphene goes a long way

March 6, 2020

Researchers at NIST have devised a way to eliminate a long-standing problem affecting our understanding of both living cells and batteries. When a solid and an

Micrograph shows several connected trenches of metal on dark background.

Spotlight: Bottoms-Up Metal-Filling

February 19, 2020

A method worth its metal — filling microscopic holes with gold can be tricky, but NIST scientist Daniel Josell is up for the challenge. A type of medical

Opposite sides of a quartz crystal resonator

Universe in the Balance

February 12, 2020

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have found a way to link measurements made by a device integral to microchip

laser welding booth

NIST Research Sparks New Insights on Laser Welding

April 30, 2019

On its surface, the work is deceptively simple: Shoot a high-power laser beam onto a piece of metal for a fraction of a second and see what happens. But

Building a Better Lithium Ion Source to Build a Better FIB

April 22, 2019

Eight years ago, NIST researchers developed a groundbreaking microscope that uses a narrow beam of low-energy lithium ions, rather than a beam of light or

Coining Less Expensive Currency

June 20, 2018

Nickels are ubiquitous in American life, tumbling around in pockets, rolling under car seats, and emerging from the back of dryers to be used over and over for

True as Steel

April 9, 2018

NIST helps to ensure the quality of steel, one of the most widely traded commodities on the planet. The Material Measurement Lab at NIST makes certified

NIST Sharpens the 'Charpy' Test to Make a More Precise Impact on Industrial Materials

February 26, 2018

A decade before an iceberg shattered the hull plates of the Titanic and half a century before a plague of brittle fractures started sinking Liberty ships during

The image shows two regions with opposing chiral antiferromagnetic domains (gray/black) in the chiral antiferromagnet Mn3Sn.

Study Identifies Metallic Antiferromagnet with Potential for Memory Devices

January 29, 2018

Antiferromagnets have generated significant interest for future computing technologies due to their fast dynamics, their ability to generate and detect spin