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Projects/Programs

Displaying 26 - 35 of 35

Single-molecule biosensors

Ongoing
We are developing new tools to investigate the energy landscape of single-molecule sensors. Our goal is to apply a wide-ranging array of technologies to probe the critical physicochemical properties of nanopore biosensors. These properties include the free energy of confinement for polymers as they

Standard Reference Measurements

Ongoing
State-of-the art property measurements have been the hallmark of the Fluid Properties Group for more than four decades. Many of these measurements have been carried out on one-of-a-kind instruments developed at NIST. In some cases the older instruments are still among the very best of their kind

Standards Development to Ensure Reliable Breath Analysis in the Field

Ongoing
Numerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been identified in human breath. These compounds can be produced by the body or by organisms in the body (e.g., bacteria or viruses) and provide a non-invasive window into human health. Inexpensive point-of-care devices are being developed to diagnose

Thermodynamic Principles Describe and Predict Cell Populations

Ongoing
Heterogeneity of cell populations indicates the many ways cells can process information. We study heterogeneity in gene expression by inserting a gene for a fluorescent protein downstream of the gene we are interested in, and we examine large numbers of cells by imaging or flow cytometry. We think

Thermodynamics of Enzyme-catalyzed Reactions

Ongoing
Current efforts are focused on industrially important biotransformation problems such as those found in hydrogenation, hydroxylation, aromatic amino acid metabolic pathways, and biofuel applications. The methods used include calorimetry, chromatography, enzymology, and spectrophotometry. The

Understanding Protein Solution Phase Behavior via Coarse-Grained Modeling

Ongoing
Intended Impact Because biological systems span a broad range of length and time scales, they cannot be studied effectively using conventional all-atom simulations. While hardware advances represent one route to improving the computational tractability of simulating biological systems, significant

Using Quantum Information for Thermodynamics

Ongoing
We re-envision thermodynamics using the mathematical and conceptual toolkit of quantum information theory. We call this research “quantum steampunk,” after the steampunk genre of art, literature, and film that juxtaposes Victorian settings with futuristic technologies. Leveraging quantum

Vapor Sampling in the Field

Ongoing
Breath sampling of cannabis users. Several versions of breath collection devices are being marketed for the detection of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) in the breath of cannabis users. THC is not directly correlated to intoxication but may indicate recent smoking or vaping. THC and other

Vapor Sampling to Support Public Safety and Forensics

Ongoing
Vapor pressures of unstable, reactive compounds. Over the last decade, our group has investigated a variety of low-volatility compounds including taggants (found in explosives), biofuels, terpenes and cannabinoids. Dynamic vapor microextraction (DVME), developed at NIST, is a small-volume dynamic