Welcome to the Tensiometry edition of the Nanoscience Instruments newsletter, nanoNews. We are excited to share the latest updates from around the Tensiometry community with you!
In this Summer 2024 newsletter you will find recent and upcoming webinars, application overviews, blogs, and publications that highlight several use cases of Attension Optical and Force Tensiometers across a variety of industries and research applications.
If you are interested in more regular updates about our activities and resources, we invite you to follow us on LinkedIn as well!
NEWS & UPDATES
NEW Liquid Dispensers for Attension Theta Flow, Flex & Lite
We are thrilled to share the news about this exciting enhancement to the full range of Attension Theta Optical Tensiometers! With an all-new design that allows the use of up to 4 different liquids, these advanced new dispensers enable more precise dispensing of low surface tension liquids, small volume drops, as well as high density and high viscosity liquids.
From high volume QA/QC measurements to complex surface energy characterization, the new dispensers will allow users of Theta Flow, Flex, and Lite instruments to boost the accuracy and repeatability of their measurements.
Recent Event: Biolin Scientific Attension User Day
If you didn’t get a chance to attend the live broadcast, we invite you to watch the recording of the recent Attension User Day, which focused on the basics of wettability. Discover how wettability measurements can help with your research and product development.
The User Day was Organized in Four Sessions:
Session 1: Basics of Surface Tension & Contact Angle Measurements for Assessing Wettability in Different Industries
Presented by: Susanna Lauren, PhD
Marketing Director, Attension & KSV NIMA
Biolin Scientific
Session 2: Advanced Wettability Measurements including Dynamic Contact Angle & Roughness-Corrected Contact Angle
Presented by: Henni Mäntykangas
Application Specialist, Contact Angle & Surface Tension
Biolin Scientific
Session 3: Interface-Mediated Mechanics of Highly Filled, Additively Manufactured Polymer Composites
Presented by: Amy Peterson, PhD
Associate Professor & Dandeneau Endowed Professor, Department of Plastics Engineering,
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Session 4: More than just Surface Tension – the caveats in interpreting Contact Angles measured using Surfactant Solutions
Presented by: Shihong Lin, PhD
Associate Professor & Chancellor Faculty Fellow in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical & Molecular Engineering,
Vanderbilt University
APPLICATION UPDATES
New OneAttension Software Overview
Our new webpage focuses on the benefits of OneAttension, the powerful software platform that collects, compiles, and analyzes data while running Attension Optical and Force tensiometers.
OneAttension provides immediate access to ALL contact angle measurement methods and related wettability characterization protocols. With unlimited software licenses, immediate access to all experimental modes, and configurable user profiles with programmable recipes, OneAttension makes it easy to turn your Attension tensiometer into a workhorse for your lab.
Technique Note: Detecting Residual Solvent in Polymer Films with Contact Angle Measurements
When fabricating thin polymeric layers, organic solvents are used to dissolve the polymer to reach a low enough viscosity or a specific phase for processing. Ideally, the solvent is then removed amid manufacturing or with post-processing conditions. However, the need and effectiveness of post-processing to remove residual solvents are not always known or verified.
This new White Paper explores one technique that can detect the presence of residual solvents rapidly and easily and can be readily coupled with polymer manufacturing—measuring water contact angle using optical tensiometry.
What Probe Liquid Should You Use for Contact Angle Measurements?
Contact angle is defined as the angle formed by a liquid at the three-phase boundary where the liquid, solid, and gas intersect. It gives a fast, quantitative measure of a …
Optical Tensiometry Solutions for Contact Angle Measurements on Challenging Samples
Surface characterization plays a crucial role in various industries, from pharmaceuticals to electronics and beyond. Understanding how liquids interact with solid surfaces is essential for optimizing processes such as coating, …
New Technique Resources –
Tensiometry, Wettability, and Associated Measurements
Want to learn more about the fundamentals of contact angle, surface and interfacial tension, surface energy measurements and wettability characterization? Visit our new Technique pages to gain valuable insights or brush up on your knowledge!
Contact Angle & Wettability
Learn about the theory behind the range of possible Contact Angles (sessile drop, advancing & receding, roll-off, roughness-corrected, etc) and how they are measured.
Surface Free Energy (SFE)
Learn more about the complexities of determining SFE and discover several optical and force tensiometry approaches for calculating this important value.
Surface & Interfacial Tension
Discover the intricate differences between Surface and Interfacial Tension and gain insight into the different methods of measuring these critical characteristics.
Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC)
Gain a better understanding of surface-active agents (surfactants) and the ways in which their amphiphilic properties affect their behavior in liquids.
WEBINARS
How Surface Wettability Affects Biomaterials and Biomedical Devices
Wettability is an important material property that affects a material’s response to its surrounding environment. For biomedical devices and biomaterials, wettability determines how the material will interact with proteins, cells, …
In this recent webinar, Dr. Emily Lentz highlighted the importance of wettability characterization for predicting how biomaterials and medical devices will interact with proteins, cells, and bacteria in a biological environment.
Overcoming Surface Roughness in Contact Angle Measurements
When using contact angle measurements to analyze the wettability of a surface, certain assumptions are often made about the sample: the surface is unreactive, rigid, insoluble, chemically homogenous, and smooth. …
Whether you are measuring contact angle to analyze medical device biocompatibility, printing on paper, structural integrity in additive manufacturing, or characterizing surfaces after abrasive processing, it is well established that surface roughness enhances the existing wetting behavior and influence on adhesion.
CONFERENCE CORNER
ACS Fall 2024 | August 18-22 | Denver, CO
Visit us in Booth #1719 at the ACS Fall Meeting to see the new Attension Theta dispensers in action! You will also have the chance to talk to our Application experts about the latest advancements in surface science research solutions. Follow us on LinkedIn for more updates about ACS Fall!
SERVICE & SUPPORT
Are you interested in upgrading your Attension Optical Tensiometer’s dispenser to add automated dispensing of more than 2 liquids?
Whether you have several coating formulations to test on a surface material or you would like to fully automate surface free energy (SFE) measurements, the new Attension dispensers provide greater flexibility by allowing the use of up to 4 different liquids.
These new dispensers are compatible with existing Theta Flow, Flex, and Lite systems, with different adapters depending on your current instrument configuration.
To discover the upgrade path for your instrument, please reach out to our Application Support/Service Team by using the link below:
*Note: In light of the launch of these new dispensers, we are committed to continuing Service and Support for existing Theta customers. From the date of launch, full service for legacy Theta dispensers will continue for 5 years, concluding on June 19, 2029. If you have questions about whether this applies to your instrument, please reach out to us at info@nanoscience.com.
RECENT ATTENSION PUBLICATIONS
Discover recently published journal articles from our Attension Customers!
- Improving the whey protein foam structures by using novel acetylated triglycerides: A response surface methodology (RSM) approach: https://doi.org/10.1002/aocs.12780
- Formulation and Aerosol Jet Printing of Nickel Nanoparticle Ink for High-Temperature Microelectronic Applications and Patterned Graphene Growth: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaelm.3c01175
- Switchable Optical Properties of Dyes and Nanoparticles in Electrowetting Devices: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano14020142
- Stability and Structure of the Aqueous LiTFSI-LiCl Interface: https://doi.org/10.1039/D4FD00026A
- Prediction of subcutaneous drug absorption – Development of novel simulated interstitial fluid media for predictive subcutaneous in vitro assays: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124227
If you are an Attension Theta or Sigma user and would like your paper to be featured in a future newsletter, please send us a link to the publication via email: marketing@nanoscience.com.