Material Measurement Laboratory

A picture of a keyboard with a key labelled "lexicon"

The NIST Bioeconomy Lexicon Aids Measurement of a Vital Industry Sector

NIST Supports Transition to a Circular Economy

Standard Reference Material for Cigarette Tobacco Filler (SRM 3222)

About the Material Measurement Laboratory

The NIST Material Measurement Laboratory (MML) conducts measurement science research to benefit industries based in the chemical, biological, and material sciences, and contributes technical expertise to the development of standards. MML researchers perform fundamental and applied research, evaluate data, and create other programs and tools to assure the quality of measurement results.

Our work supports areas of national importance:

We contribute to the development of new vaccines and biologic drugs
Characterize the performance of alternative fuels and refrigerants with less greenhouse gas potential
Assess pollutants including ocean plastics
Help develop new materials for lightweight, fuel efficient transportation, and much more.

Projects & Programs

Advanced Materials Design: Electronic and Functional Applications

Ongoing

Accelerating Materials Discovery using Machine Learning and AI Using machine learning and AI techniques along with high-throughput DFT calculations materials with specific properties are identified to accelerate the the discovery process for a variety of applications. Some of the specific materials

Characterization of Nano-to-Microscale Process-Induced Thermo-Mechanical Changes in Heterogeneously Integrated Microelectronics

Ongoing

Across the entire semiconductor industry, issues related to thermomechanical mismatches encountered during packaging are limiting factors in the design and fabrication of 3D modular integrated circuits. This project will develop novel and necessary metrologies for thermomechanical properties of

Chain orientation of polyethylene by polarization BCARS

3D Molecular Orientation Imaging

Ongoing

We have developed 3D orientation measurement techniques by analyzing polarization-dependent molecular vibrational signals based on infrared (IR) absorption [1,2] and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) [3]. The two imaging modalities are complementary to each other: IR imaging broadly

News & Updates

Illustration shows two clear jars full of marbles on a red table with a piece of paper that says “Find the Concentration.”

NIST Researchers Develop More Accurate Formula for Measuring Particle Concentration

August 20, 2025

The new method will be useful in various fields, including nanomedicine, food science, environmental science and advanced manufacturing.

picture of a white box with a sticker label with a sticker label containing words Standard Reference Material 965c Glucose in Frozen Human Serum

SRM Story: SRM 965c Glucose in Frozen Human Serum

August 14, 2025

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 40 % of Americans suffer from diabetes-related conditions, including 29 million

A woman wearing a lab coat and safety glasses stares into a large microscope.

New NIST Reference Material to Strengthen Quality Control for Biological Drugs

July 31, 2025

Impurities in these drugs can cause undesirable immune responses in patients and can significantly drive up costs for drug manufacturers.

Events

Workshop Towards an Autonomous Materials Research Ecosystem

Tue, Sep 9 - Wed, Sep 10 2025

Autonomous and automated experimentation have demonstrated the possibility of accelerating materials research and

Lab-Based Drug Checking Standards Needs Meeting

Mon, Sep 15 - Tue, Sep 16 2025

The Lab-Based Drug Checking Standards Meeting is a two-day event designed to bring together scientists involved in lab

Building a Path Forward for Meaningful Cannabis Breathalyzer Realization

Wed, Sep 24 - Thu, Sep 25 2025

We are bringing together participants from government, forensic laboratories, industry, academia, law enforcement

Publications

Certification of 3180 Series Standard Reference Materials® Anions in Solution

August 26, 2025

Author(s)

Brian Lang, Thomas Vetter, John Molloy, Antonio Possolo

The 3180 series Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) are single anion solutions intended for use as primary calibration standards for the quantitative

Toward improved property prediction of 2D materials using many-body quantum Monte Carlo methods

August 22, 2025

Author(s)

Daniel Wines, Jeonghwan Ahn, Anouar Benali, Paul Kent, Jaron Krogel, Yongkyung Kwon, Lubos Mitas, Fernando Reboredo, Brenda Rubenstein, Kayahan Saritas, Hyeondeok Shin, Ivan Stich, Can Ataca

Quantum Vibro-Polaritonic Sensing

August 15, 2025

Author(s)

Peng Zheng, Stephen Semancik, Ishan Barman

Vibrational spectroscopies are pivotal in analytical methods and biomedical diagnostics owing to their singular ability to provide molecular specificity. Yet

Awards

Collage with Lili Wang, Linhua Tian, and Paul DeRose's headshots

2025 - Editors Best Original Paper Award---Linhua Tian, Paul DeRose, and Lili Wang

Linhua Tian, Paul DeRose, and Lili Wang of the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory are co-authors, along with NIH researchers*, on a

2025 - ACS Fellow---Karen Phinney

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Fellows Program recognizes ACS members for "their outstanding achievements in and contributions to the

2025 - Resolve Award---Lili Wang

The Resolve Award celebrates individuals who uplift the world through science. Lili Wang of the NIST Material Measurement Laboratory was

Press Coverage

The mysterious drop in fentanyl seizures on the U.S.-Mexico border

The Washington Post

May 31, 2025

The reasons behind the decrease of fentanyl seizures in the U.S. and along the Mexico-U.S. border are complex.

Hrabe Interviewed by AmericaMakes for TCT Magazine Article on Additive Manufacturing

TCT Magazine

August 5, 2024

Nik Hrabe of the Applied Chemicals and Materials Division was recently interviewed by AmericaMakes for their TCT Magazine.

Two men in suits stand behind a display table displaying a laptop and a low cost materials science robot.

NIST Staff Demonstrate Low-Cost Self-Driving Lab at U.S. Senate Robotics Showcase on Capitol Hill

Maryland Energy Innovation Institute

April 30, 2024

Senate Robotics Demo Day: On April 30, 2024, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Material Measurement Laboratory, in

Material Measurement Laboratory

About the Material Measurement Laboratory

Our work supports areas of national importance:

Projects & Programs

Advanced Materials Design: Electronic and Functional Applications

Characterization of Nano-to-Microscale Process-Induced Thermo-Mechanical Changes in Heterogeneously Integrated Microelectronics

3D Molecular Orientation Imaging

News & Updates

NIST Researchers Develop More Accurate Formula for Measuring Particle Concentration

SRM Story: SRM 965c Glucose in Frozen Human Serum

New NIST Reference Material to Strengthen Quality Control for Biological Drugs

Events

Workshop Towards an Autonomous Materials Research Ecosystem

Lab-Based Drug Checking Standards Needs Meeting

Building a Path Forward for Meaningful Cannabis Breathalyzer Realization

Publications

Certification of 3180 Series Standard Reference Materials® Anions in Solution

Toward improved property prediction of 2D materials using many-body quantum Monte Carlo methods

Quantum Vibro-Polaritonic Sensing

Awards

2025 - Editors Best Original Paper Award---Linhua Tian, Paul DeRose, and Lili Wang

2025 - ACS Fellow---Karen Phinney

2025 - Resolve Award---Lili Wang

Press Coverage

The mysterious drop in fentanyl seizures on the U.S.-Mexico border

Hrabe Interviewed by AmericaMakes for TCT Magazine Article on Additive Manufacturing

NIST Staff Demonstrate Low-Cost Self-Driving Lab at U.S. Senate Robotics Showcase on Capitol Hill

Blog Posts

A Summer of Science: How Our Interns Spent Their Summers in the Lab

How Nature’s Symmetry Might Help Us See Early Warning Signs of Cancer

Measure Twice, Cut Once: How Measuring Molecular ‘Scissors’ Can Further Groundbreaking Research

Contacts

GENERAL INFORMATION: 301-975-8300 (PHONE); [email protected]; 100 BUREAU DRIVE, M/S 8300, GAITHERSBURG, MD 20899-8300