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Nanotechnology

Advancing nanoscale measurement science, standards, and nanotechnology is an important component of NIST's mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness. From leading cutting edge research to coordinating the development of standards that promote trade, NIST's programs in nanotechnology directly impact priorities important to the nation's economy and well being.

The Research

Projects & Programs

Chemical Functionalization and Manipulation of Nano Materials

Ongoing
This project focuses on manipulating nanomaterials, including weakly bonded van der Waals systems, and probing emergent phenomena in these nanoengineered systems to impact technologies such as nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, quantum sensing, and quantum computing. Developing processes to

Forensic Topography and Surface Metrology

Ongoing
Surface texture and microform Surface texture affects the functionality of many products, ranging from bearings to semiconductors and optics. Affected properties include aesthetics, friction, wear, lubrication, sealing, light scattering, and conductivity. Improvements in parameters and metrology to

Nano-Chemical Imaging and -Spectroscopy (IR, nIR, VIS)

Ongoing
The aim of this project is twofold: 1) improve the PTIR measurement (spectral range, signal to noise ratio, throughput, time resolution, information content, range of environmental conditions) and 2) apply PTIR to characterize nanomaterials in important applications. Examples or recent PTIR

Analysis of Copper Incorporation Into Zinc Oxide Nanowires

The lasing capabilities and piezoelectric properties of single ZnO nanowires offer promise for future technologies. However, the photoluminescence of ZnO nanowires differs depending upon the synthesis method and the defects present in the sample. This project was undertaken to characterize zinc

Additional Resources Links

News

The Virtuous Cycle of Making and Measuring Nanostructures

In his 1959 lecture “ There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom,” Richard Feynman invited us to enter a new field of physics. He envisioned, with remarkable prescience, making, measuring and using new technology at the nanometer scale. The exact effect that his predictions had on future science is uncertain, but he certainly inspired science fiction writers, and their stories captured my imagination as

Tiny New Lasers Fill a Long-Standing Gap in the Rainbow of Visible-Light Colors, Opening New Applications

With Some Bumps, NIST Scientists Devise a Novel Way to Extend the Wavelength Range of Microcombs

Spotlight: Chip-Scale Frequency Combs Can Be Integrated With Other Sensors

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