Applied Chemicals and Materials Division

Tom Bruno and Tara Lovestead assemble an apparatus for detecting and measuring explosives and toxins. Image credit: Burrus/NIST.

Our division, located on the NIST campus in Boulder, Co., has two distinct foci: Determining the properties of gases and fluids, and assessing the reliability of solid materials on a wide scale, from nanometer-sized electronic devices to yards-long pipeline sections. We work with members of industry, other government agencies, and academia. We provide the measurement science, standards, technology, instrumentation, models and data that are critical to advances in the American energy industry, the development of infrastructure for new energy sources like hydrogen and ethanol, and the assessment of the nation's physical infrastructure.