NCMC Mission
To promote industrial adaptation of combinatorial and high-throughput
measurement methods that serve to accelerate the discovery, development, and
optimization of innovative materials products.
The NCMC fosters wide-spread adaptation of combinatorial and high-throughput
(C&HT) methodologies through two complementary efforts. The first is an
extensive research program, centered in the Combinatorial Methods Group of the NIST Polymers Division. This research develops and advances new
instruments and measurement approaches that help industry accelerate their
discovery, optimization, and understanding of new, complex materials products,
including multicomponent polymer coatings and films, adhesives, personal care
products, and structural plastics. Moreover, in conjunction with other Polymers
Division Groups, a growing component of our program aims to provide C&HT
measurement methods useful for the advancement of emerging technologies,
including nanostructured materials, organic electronics, and biomaterials.
In complement to this research program, the NCMC conducts an outreach effort
aimed at disseminating NIST-developed measurement methods and best practices to
industry, assessing emerging industrial C&HT metrology needs, and forming a
community for advancing the field. The NCMC leverages a unique,
"non-proprietary" consortium model, the development and success of which
garnered a U.S. Department of Commerce Silver Medal for Customer Service in
2005. This model enables open discussion of the metrology issues that face
industrial stakeholders, and promotes a focus on the fundamental, common needs
of this broad community. All NCMC research is published in the public domain.
Customer outreach services include:
- Semi-annual Workshops that help member parties learn about combinatorial
and high-throughput methods
- Onsite training and orientation in the development and use of
high-throughput experimentation capabilities
- Specification and training documents for NIST-developed instrumentation
NIST Mission
