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A simple levitated-drop tensiometer

Abstract:
A reliable, simple, and affordable liquid tensiometer is presented in this paper. The instrument consists of 72 ultrasonic transmitters in a tractor beam configuration that levitates small liquid samples (droplets) in air. Under operation, the instrument imparts a pressure instability that causes the droplet to vibrate while still levitating. Droplet oscillations are then detected by a photodiode, and the signal is recorded by an oscilloscope. The frequency of these oscillations is obtained and then used to obtain the effective surface tension of the sample. The instrument operates at the millisecond scale time (t < 12.5 ms), with very small liquid volumes (∼0.5 μl), and the sample is recoverable after testing. The instrument has been experimentally validated with acetone, ethanol, Fluorinert FC-40, water, and whole milk.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1063/1.5096959

Authors


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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MPLS
Department:
Engineering Science
Oxford college:
Wadham College
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0003-4995-2582


Publisher:
AIP Publishing
Journal:
Review of Scientific Instruments More from this journal
Volume:
90
Issue:
9
Article number:
095109
Publication date:
2019-09-30
Acceptance date:
2019-09-03
DOI:
EISSN:
1089-7623
ISSN:
0034-6748


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
pubs:1052490
UUID:
uuid:e0a22bdf-0b9e-4fc9-afc3-0129258b852c
Local pid:
pubs:1052490
Source identifiers:
1052490
Deposit date:
2019-09-08

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