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Material Measurement Laboratory

News and Updates

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NIST Upgrades Widely Used Database of Molecular 'Fingerprints'

June 6, 2017

When scientists need to identify an unknown compound, they do what a police detective might do. They get fingerprints—in this case, the “molecular fingerprints”

The Genuine Article

May 20, 2017

NIST accelerates the transformation of laboratory discoveries into new therapies and commercial products by assuring the quality of measurements in biomedical

X-rays from Copper Source Set New Gold Standard for Measuring Industrial Materials

May 12, 2017

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have produced and precisely measured a spectrum of X-rays using a new, state-of-the-art

Two vials, one with heroin and one with an equivalent dose of fentanyl, which is a much smaller amount.

Fentanyl Can Sicken First Responders. Here’s a Possible Solution.

May 9, 2017

Dan Kallen, a detective in southern New Jersey, was searching a home with fellow officers in August 2015, when they found a bag of white powder. Kallen removed

diagram of amantadine hydrochloride structure

New NIST Data to Aid Production and Storage of 'Fascinating' Medication

May 2, 2017

Amantadine hydrochloride may be the most common medication you’ve never heard of. This compound has been around for decades as the basis for antiviral and other

Steel-Reinforced Concrete Building with Severe Corrosion Damage

Move Over, Superman! NIST 'Spectral Fingerprinting' Sees Through Concrete to Detect Early Corrosion

April 26, 2017

When you suffer a fall, an on-the-field collision or some other traumatic blow, the first thing the doctor will do is take an X-ray, CT scan or MRI to determine

Graphene Lid Revitalizes Imaging Technique

March 31, 2017

By capping liquids with graphene, an ultrathin sheet of pure carbon, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their

Silk Sensor Could Speed Development of New Infrastructure, Aerospace and Consumer Materials

March 17, 2017

Consumers want fuel-efficient vehicles and high-performance sporting goods, municipalities want weather-resistant bridges, and manufacturers want more efficient

Strips of magnetic material sit atop blocks of a nonmagnetic heavy metal

Better Nanoimages 'Spin' The Path to Improved Magnetic Memory

March 16, 2017

In work that could help make possible a faster, longer-lasting and lower-energy method of data storage for consumers and businesses, researchers at the National

Climate-Friendlier Air Conditioning Chemicals Hard to Find, Study Shows

February 23, 2017

In response to a recently published study in Nature Communications about options for low-global-warming-potential refrigerants from NIST, Inside Climate News

A fluorescent microscope image of NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells

NIST Patents First DNA Method to Authenticate Mouse Cell Lines

February 23, 2017

“A case of mistaken identity” may drive the plot of the latest spy film or crime novel, but it’s only a tale of trouble for geneticists, oncologists, drug

Diving Deep into the Dolphin Genome Could Benefit Human Health

February 22, 2017

In movies and TV shows, dolphins are often portrayed as heroes who save humans through remarkable feats of strength and tenacity. Now dolphins could save the

‘Start Codons’ in DNA and RNA May Be More Numerous Than Previously Thought

February 21, 2017

For decades, scientists working with genetic material have labored with a few basic rules in mind. To start, DNA is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), and

NIST Quest for Climate-Friendly Refrigerants Finds Complicated Choices

February 17, 2017

BOULDER, Colo. – Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have just completed a multiyear study to identify the “best”

NIST Standard Story: No Humans Were Harmed

February 15, 2017

NIST scientists have thoroughly measured and characterized more than 1,300 physical products, NIST Standard Reference Materials ®, to help people in industry

A Message from the MML Director

February 15, 2017

" A Message from the MML Director" appears in each edition of Material Matters, the quarterly magazine of NIST's Material Measurement Lab. This letter from MML

Illustration of setup for separating nanoparticles from organisms

NIST Updates ‘Sweet’ 1950s Separation Method to Clean Nanoparticles from Organisms

January 26, 2017

Sometimes old-school methods provide the best ways of studying cutting-edge tech and its effects on the modern world. Giving a 65-year-old laboratory technique

President Obama Honors Federally-Funded Early-Career Scientists

January 10, 2017

On Jan. 9, 2017, President Obama named 102 scientists and researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE

Fracture surface of additive manufactured titanium alloy

NIST Releases Findings from the NIST/ASTM Workshop on Mechanical Behavior of Additive Manufacturing Components

January 6, 2017

The worldwide market for additive manufacturing (AM) products and services is projected to exceed US$6.5 billion by 2019 [1]. Despite this prediction, there are

NIST Research Enables Enhanced DNA “Fingerprints”

December 15, 2016

As the new year approaches, forensic labs across the country are gearing up for a big change in the way they generate DNA profiles, the genetic fingerprints so

New Arsenic Sensor Prize Challenge

December 14, 2016

The Bureau of Reclamation has launched phase one of the Arsenic Sensor Challenge. Arsenic in water can affect human health and limit water supplies. NIST

Materials Extrusion Additive Manufacturing

NIST Releases Roadmap for Polymer-Based Additive Manufacturing

December 12, 2016

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a high-priority technology growth area for U.S. manufacturers. Innovative AM processes that fabricate parts layer-by-layer

Odor Detection with An Artificial Dog Nose

Sniffing Like a Dog Can Improve Trace Detection of Explosives

December 1, 2016

By mimicking how dogs get their whiffs, government and university researchers have demonstrated that “active sniffing” can improve by more than 10 times the

Universe’s Constants Now Known with Sufficient Certainty to Completely Redefine the International System of Units

November 22, 2016

Fundamental constants are physical quantities that are universal in nature. For example, the speed of light in vacuum and the charge of a single electron are

A Message from the MML Director

November 18, 2016

" A Message from the MML Director" appears in each edition of Material Matters, the quarterly magazine of NIST's Material Measurement Lab. This letter from MML

Advanced communications
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Materials
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Nanotechnology
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