Overview

What you can measure

  • Static contact angle 
    Sessile drop, captive bubble and meniscus methods
  • Dynamic contact angle 
    Dynamic contact angle, advancing and receding contact angle, contact angle hysteresis and roll-off angle
  • Surface free energy 
    Sessile drop, captive bubble and meniscus methods
  • Surface- and interfacial tension 
    Pendant drop and reverse pendant drop methods
  • Roughness-corrected contact angle and 3D surface roughness 
    Fringe projection phase shifting method
  • Interfacial dilatational rheology
    P    ulsating drop method

Widen your view

This 3-minute video will provide you with all you need to know about Theta Flex. Watch the video in fullscreen for the best experience. 

3 reasons to invest

One instrument for all your needs

Flexible at its core, this instrument gives you plenty of measuring possibilities. All neatly packed in our easy-to-use software. Add accessories and modules to match your needs. 

Results you can trust

We know that high quality imaging is essential for high quality results. Therefore the Theta Flex camera has a resolution of 1984 × 1264 px with a maximum of 3009 FPS. Sophisticated algorithms record and analyze the contact angle and surface free energy for you, and you can follow the experiment in real-time. 

Need for speed?

All steps of your measurements can be automated to speed things up in the lab. This way you can also avoid user dependency. The outcome will be more precise, and experimenting more smooth. Enjoy. 

Red-dot-award-best-industrial

Attension Theta Flex

An award-winning instrument

Did you know that Attension Theta Flex received a Red Dot for its ground-breaking  and intuitive design? Our instrument was elected Best of the best in the category of Industrial design at the Red Dot Award for Product Design 2020, making it a winner in the world’s most renowned design competition. 

“Our experienced jury only awards the Red Dot: Best of the Best to the most convincing products in a category. This is why only a small percentage of the objects entered win this award. It is proof that every detail of the design is coherent and well thought through. Consumers can trust our experts’ decision entirely and can rest assured that the products are of top quality.” says Professor Dr. Peter Zec, founder and CEO of Red Dot.

Read the review
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Specifications

A closer look

Check out the specifics of Theta Flex and compare it to our Theta Lite to find out what you need. Theta Flex systems come in ready-made packages optimized for your automation level. Other packages can also be formed easily thanks to the modular design.

 
Theta Flex
Theta Lite

Available Measurements
Static contact angle
 √ √
Dynamic contact angle
 Automatic Automatic
Surface/Interfacial tension
 √ √
3D surface roughness
 √ –
Interfacial rheology
 √ –
Surface free energy
 Zisman Plot, OWRK/Extended Fowkes, van Oss Acid-Base, Wu, Neumann’s Equation of State, Schultz 1 and 2

Available Measurement Methods
Sessile drop
 √ √
Batch sessile drop
 √ √
Captive bubble
 √ √
Pendant drop
 √ √
Reverse pendant drop
 √ √
Meniscus
 √ √
Dynamic contact angle
 Automatic Automatic
Pulsating drop
 √ –
3D Topography
 √ –

Hardware
Measuring range (°, mN/m)
 0…180, 0.01…2000 0…180, 0.01…2000
Accuracy (°, mN/m)
 ±0.1, ±0.01 ±0.1, ±0.01
Maximum sample size (mm)
 Unlimited×100×320 (with stage) Unlimited×45×200 (with stage)
Integrated sample holders
 Yes Yes
Frame interval
 0.33 ms ... 1000 s 0.48 ms ... 1000 s
Maximum resolution (px)
 1984×1264 1280×1024
Maximum measuring speed (fps)
 3009 2068
Camera
 USB 3.0 digital camera with zoom USB 3.0 digital camera
Camera protection
 Inside instrument covers Inside instrument covers
Camera view angle (°)
  -4.5 ... 2.5  -2 ... 2
Light source and size
 LED based background lighting, 62 x 62 mm LED based background lighting, Ø 20 mm
Field of view (Ø, mm)
 1.44…32.3 2.9…12 
Measurement indicator LED
 Yes No
Disposable tip dispensing
 √ √
Dimensions — Basic frame (L×W×H, mm)
  765 x 230 x 435  495 x 130 x 310
Weight — Basic frame (kg)
 26 5
Power supply (VAC)
 90…264 100…240
Frequency (Hz)
 47 ... 440 50 ... 60
 
Dispenser
Droplet placement
Sample stage
Camera
Possible upgrades
Theta Flex Auto 5
 Auto, 4 liquids Auto Auto XYZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Auto 4
 Auto, 2 liquids Auto Auto XYZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Auto 3
 Auto, 1 liquid Auto Auto XYZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Auto 2
 Auto, 2 liquids Auto Auto X, Manual YZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Auto 1 
 Auto, 1 liquid Auto Manual XYZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Plus
 Auto, 1 liquid Manual Manual XYZ 1984 × 1264 px, max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Flex Basic
 Manual Manual Manual XYZ 1984 × 1264 px,  max 3009 FPS Full
Theta Lite Auto 2  
 Auto, 2 liquids Manual Manual YZ 1280 x 1024 px,  max 2068 FPS Limited
Theta Lite Auto 1  
 Auto, 1 liquid Manual Manual YZ 1280 x 1024 px,  max 2068 FPS Limited
Theta Lite Basic
 Manual Manual Manual YZ

1280 x 1024 px, max 2068 FPS

 Limited

Software

OneAttension Software

We made our software for Theta Flex with you in mind. It is a fine combination of a very intuitive interface and high functionality. Follow your experiment live, and get the results within seconds. OneAttension is analyzing made easy. Let's have a look at the features! 

 

OneAttension Features

  • User friendly interface
    To get you going in no time
  • Fully automated measurements
    Saving your time and avoiding user dependency
  • Automatic baseline detection and drop shape fitting
    For simplicity and precision
  • Batch angle mode
    When you have plenty of tests to run in no time
  • Meniscus contact angle mode
    When you are finding out the contact angle of fibers
  • Automated liquid purity checkup
    So you can trust your results
  • Fully automatic dynamic contact angle mode with the needle method
    For user-independent results

 

Accessories

Add more possibilities

With the modular design and an extensive range of modules and accessories you have room to upgrade or change the Attension Theta Flex as your needs evolve. Have a look at a few selected examples or explore the full range below.

t316

Topography 3D module

Theta Flex can be combined with the unique 3D Topography module that takes the wettability and adhesion analysis into a completely new level by measuring both contact angle and surface roughness of the sample in a single measurement. Distinguish the effect of roughness on contact angle and surface free energy.

t317

High Pressure Chamber

The High Pressure Chamber is designed for wettability research within enhanced oil recovery and enables measurements at pressures up to 400 bars and temperatures up to 200°C. Integrated chamber piston and sample port are optimized for the best usability and versatility.

c204a

Tilting cradle

A software controlled tilting cradle. Used for studying dynamic contact angles. Tilting range from 0 to 90° and tilting resolution 0.1°. The vacuum stage top C204B is recommended to be used with this option.

t214

Pulsating Drop Module - PD200

Software controlled drop size pulsing for interfacial rheology measurement of viscoelastic properties of interfacial layers at liquid-air or liquid-liquid interfaces. 

t315a

Picoliter Dispenser

Automated picoliter-scale drop formation. Especially for inkjet applications and for measuring contact angle on very small sample areas.

Testimonials

What others say

Our instruments are present at many prestigious universities and research facilities world wide. Take a minute to find out what others say about Theta Flex. 

citat8

Dr. Nicola J. Irwin. Queen’s University Belfast

"The ability to accurately measure contact angle as a measure of surface wettability is of utmost importance as we develop new technologies to prevent medical device-associated issues of infection and tissue trauma. The ease-of-use of the instrument and associated software is a major advantage and the support offered by the team, particularly with new applications, is exceptional.”

Queens Univeristy Belfast

Queen’s University Belfast

This prestigious university in Northern Ireland is ranked amongst the top 200 in the world. Dr. Nicola J. Irwin, Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Materials Science School of Pharmacy, has been using our instrument in her work. 

citat8

Ville Jokinen. Aalto University

"The ability to measure the advancing and receding contact angles with a single click and having the data into a convenient format saves time and reduces the human error."

Watch the full story

 

Aalto_University_logo-sv

Aalto University, Finland

Aalto University is a top Finnish university combining science, technology and arts into a collaborative environment for both scientific communities and companies. Our contact angle meters and tensiometers have been used there in research for decades. 

 

citat8

Researcher at MIT

“The reproducibility of the measurements acquired is excellent even with the lowest surface energy values and the tensiometers are quite flexible with regards to sample size. The software is also very useful and the customer support for the products is excellent.”

MIT-logo-gray-lightgray

MIT, USA

MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a world-leading research university with a mission to advance knowledge and educate students in science and technology. MIT use our tensiometers to study contact angles and interfacial energy. 

Knowledge

Learn more

We have gathered all our in-depth knowledge associated with Theta Flex. Browse around amongst webinars, overviews and videos to find a topic of your interest. 

  • Attension
Overview

The Importance of Contact Angle in Industry

Get examples of how contact angle measurements are utilized in different industries.

Get it
  • Attension
Video

Contact Angle Hysteresis and the Roll-off Angle with Tilting Method

Find out how contact angle hysteresis and roll-off angles can be measured in practice.

Watch
  • Attension
Video

Automated Dynamic Contact Angle Measurement with Needle Method

See the measurement in practice in this short video.

Watch
  • Attension
Overview

Effect of Wettability in Biomedical Applications

Explore why wettability measurements are an important part of biomaterial characterization.

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  • Attension
White Paper

The Influence of Surface Roughness on Wettability

Learn how surface roughness is measured with Theta Topography and in what applications it is useful.

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  • Attension
Webinar

Superhydrophobic Surfaces - From Lab to Real Life Applications

Listen to Professor Robin Ras sharing his expertise on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Go there
  • Attension
Webinar

Enhanced Oil Recovery - Measuring Minimum Miscibility Pressure

Hear Professor Sandro da Rocha on how to determine the pressure at which CO2 is miscible with oil.

Go there
  • Attension
White Paper

Surface and Interfacial Tension

Learn what it is and read our review of the most commonly used measurement techniques.

Download
  • Attension
Overview

Wettability Alteration in Carbonate Reservoir

You get an introduction to wettability in a carbonate reservoirs and a view of the most used enhanced oil recovery methods.

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  • Attension
Case Study

Enhanced Oil Recovery using Nanoparticles

We show you how nanoparticles can be utilized to enhance oil recovery and how contact angle measurements can be used.

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  • Attension
Overview

How do Pressure and Temperature Affect on Wettability?

In enhanced oil recovery it is important to find out how pressure and temperature affect wettability. We show you how.

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  • Attension
White Paper

Wettability Measurements for Enhanced Oil Recovery Optimization

You get an overview of the most relevant wettability measurement methods for enhanced oil recovery optimization.

Download
  • Attension
Case Study

A Prove of Superior Coating Quality by Dynamic Contact Angle Measurement

Follow a real life example of coating development using dynamic contact angle.

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  • Attension
Webinar

Effect of Temperature and Pressure on Wettability of Solids

Listen to Professor Zhenghe Xu sharing his knowledge on bitumen recovery.

Go there
  • Attension
Webinar

How to Measure Superhydrophobic Surfaces in Practice?

Learn how your measurements should be conducted for reliable results and what instrumentation you need.

Go there
  • Attension
Webinar

CO2-in-water Foam

Hear Professor Sandro da Rocha on CO2-in-water foams and how to design surfactants for these systems.

Go there
  • Attension
Overview

Surface Free Energy Methods

You get an introduction to surface free energy methods and a comparison chart.

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  • Attension
Overview

The Importance of Surface Tension in Industry

Detergents, paints, food. We give you examples to how surface and interfacial tension measurements are utilized in different industries.

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  • Attension
White Paper

Contact Angle - What is it and how do you measure it?

Learn more about one of the most used measurement method to study the wettability of the surface.

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  • Attension
White Paper

Surface Free Energy - What is it and how to measure it?

We explain the concept of surface free energy and present the most important theories behind it.

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  • Attension
Webinar

Surface Free Energy in Practice

We give you the reasons why to measure surface free energy and show how it is done.

Go there
  • Attension
Overview

Wettability of Contact Lenses

Get an overview of wettability and contact angle on contact lens and an introduction to captive bubble method.

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  • Attension
White Paper

Surface and Interfacial Tension

Study the different measurement methods to select the best choice for your application.

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  • Attension
Case Study

Determination of Optimal Plasma Treatment Time of Polypropylene

Learn how contact angle and surface free energy can be utilized to determine the optimum plasma treatment time.

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  • Attension
Overview

Why Interfacial Rheology is Important

Get examples on why interfacial rheology is important in various industries.

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  • Attension
Webinar

Surface Tension and Surfactants in Industrial Processes

Get an overview of how surfactants are used in industrial processes.

Go there
  • Attension
Webinar

Using Contact Angle Measurements in Surface Research and Quality Control

Get an understanding about how contact angle measurements are utilized in industry to optimize and control surfaces.

Go there
  • Attension
White Paper

Wettability Measurements in Biomedical Applications

Read how wettability measurements have been utilized in biomedical research

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  • Attension
Webinar

Characterizing Water Repellency with Dynamic Contact Angles

Learn about dynamic contact angles from our experts, and find out why it is useful when characterizing the water repellency of a surface.

Go there
  • Attension
Case Study

Evaluation of Biomedical Coatings with Contact Angle Measurement

Learn how contact angle measurements can be used to evaluate biomedical coatings.

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  • Attension
Case Study

Interfacial Rheology as Emulsion and Foam Stability Indicator

Shows how interfacial rheology measurement can be used as quality control tool.

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