Surface Tension

News Surface Tension

• 'Dancing' holes in droplets submerged in water-ethanol mixtures
  

  Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have observed the formation of holes that move by themselves in droplets of ionic liquids (IL) sitting inside water-ethanol mixtures. This curious, complex phenomenon is driven by an interplay between how ionic liquids dissolve, and how the boundary aro more

• Fast-spinning spheres show nanoscale systems' secrets
  

  Spin a merry-go-round fast enough and the riders fly off in all directions. But the spinning particles in a Rice University lab do just the opposite. Experiments in the Rice lab of chemical engineer Sibani Lisa Biswal show micron-sized spheres coming together under the influence of a rapidly spinnin more

• Liquid-metal membrane technology to make hydrogen fuel cell vehicles viable
  

  While cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells offer clear advantages over the electric vehicles that are growing in popularity (including their longer range, their lower overall environmental impact, and the fact that they can be refueled in minutes, versus hours of charging time), they have yet to take more

Videos Surface Tension

Pop science: Stanford engineers stop soap bubbles from swirling

The spinning rainbow surface of a soap bubble is more than mesmerizing – it’s a lesson in fluid mechanics. Better understanding of these hypnotic flows could bring improvements in many areas, from longer lasting beer foam to life-saving lung treatments. more

White papers Surface Tension

• What Size Has Your Sample?
  

  How surfaces can be analysised and evaluated non-destructively and precisely on their wetting properties more

• Automated Dynamic Light Scattering
  

  DLS analysis is a widely applied, non-invasive method for measuring the effective size of molecules in solution. This technique yields valuable information for the characterization of molecules and particles. It facilitates formerly laborious and tim more

Infographics Surface Tension

The Chemistry of Cocktail Foams

Ever wondered about the chemistry behind cocktails? If so, then this mini-series of graphics is for you! As part of the Pint of Science festival taking place in May, I’m running an event at La Raza in Cambridge (UK) looking at how chemistry can be used to make ‘molecular cocktails’. I’ve also create more

What Makes Shampoo Foam?

The third of the ‘Everyday Compounds’ series of infographics looks at sodium lauryl sulfate – a compound the majority of us encounter in our showers every day. What’s this chemical doing in your shampoo and toothpaste, why is it also found in engine degreasers, and why could it also potentially be u more

The Chemistry of Cocktail Spherification

Here’s the second in the series of graphics I’ve produced for my Pint of Science event at La Raza Cambridge (UK) in a few weeks’ time. Today’s graphic looks at how chemistry can help to make caviar and spheres in cocktails, and the chemical agents used to do it. more