Psst! A whispering gallery for light boosts solar cells

17-Apr-2018 - Trapping light with an optical version of a whispering gallery, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a nanoscale coating for solar cells that enables them to absorb about 20 percent more sunlight than uncoated devices. The coating, applied with a ...

Unexpected effect could lead to lower-power memory, computing devices

20-Mar-2018 - An unexpected phenomenon known as zero field switching (ZFS) could lead to smaller, lower-power memory and computing devices than presently possible. The image shows a layering of platinum (Pt), tungsten (W), and a cobalt-iron-boron magnet (CoFeB) sandwiched at the ends by gold (Au) electrodes on ...

Quantum thermometer or optical refrigerator?

26-Jun-2017 - In an arranged marriage of optics and mechanics, physicists have created microscopic structural beams that have a variety of powerful uses when light strikes them. Able to operate in ordinary, room-temperature environments, yet exploiting some of the deepest principles of quantum physics, these ...

X-rays from copper source set new gold standard for measuring industrial materials

17-May-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 machine. The instrument they used to measure the X-rays took 20 years to develop, and will help scientists working at the agency make ...

Measuring Planck's constant, watt balance brings world closer to new kilogram

22-Jun-2016 - A high-tech version of an old-fashioned balance scale at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has just brought scientists a critical step closer toward a new and improved definition of the kilogram. The scale, called the NIST-4 watt balance, has conducted its first ...

Standard to improve sustainable manufacturing

31-May-2016 - Anyone who's ever covered a wall with sticky notes to clearly map all of the steps in a process knows how valuable that exercise can be. It can streamline workflow, increase efficiency and improve the overall quality of the end result. Now, a public-private team led by the National Institute of ...

Fleet and fast

Test for nanomanufacturing quality control

08-Mar-2016 - Manufacturers may soon have a speedy and nondestructive way to test a wide array of materials under real-world conditions, thanks to an advance that researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have made in roll-to-roll measurements. Roll-to-roll measurements are ...

Natural air standards support accurate greenhouse gas measurements

23-Feb-2016 - When it comes to tallying emissions of greenhouse gases, there is no better substitute than directly measuring the atmosphere. But this important accounting can be obscured, and even confused, if measurements of the air-borne heat-trapping chemicals are inaccurate or can't be compared from one ...

Univar Announces Blanquefort Site Ready to Resume Operation Following €2 Million Investment

22-Nov-2012 - Univar Inc., a global chemical distributor, announced that its Blanquefort site, located in the French region of Bordeaux, is about to become fully operational again following an extensive €2 million refurbishment. The 18000 m2 site is used to store, package and distribute products, with a focus ...

New freeform standards to support scanning coordinate measurement machines

15-Nov-2012 - The National Physical Laboratory, the UK's National Measurement Institute, has developed a new range of three dimensional standards for verifying freeform coordinate measurement machines (CMMs). The standard allows the verification of portable and fixed non-contact coordinate measuring systems ...