There are several ways to deposit nanoparticles. Most methods are able to coat the surface, but for controlled monolayer deposition, more sophisticated methods are needed.
The versatility of polyelectrolyte multilayers, PEMs, is high, which makes them interesting for e.g. biomedical applications. The functionality is largely determined by the layer properties, which needs to be understood to be tailored. Here, we show how PEMs can be characterized with QCM-D.
Contact angle hysteresis (CAH) is an important physical phenomenon. When you look through the window on a rainy day, you have probably noticed that some of the water droplets stick to the glass even though gravity is pulling them down. The phenomenon can be explained by contact angle hysteresis.
Surfactants are used in many industrial fields. Characterization of surfactants is thus important to optimize their performance and the products they are applied to. Surface and interfacial tension measurements offer versatile method to study the properties and behavior of the surfactant solution.
QCM-D and ellipsometry are two surface sensitive real-time technologies that can be used in combination to give synergistic effects. To make to most of the combined output data, there are some aspects to consider when setting up the combined experiment and when analyzing the captured data.
Contact angles are routinely measured as they offer simple, yet extremely sensitive measurement method for surface characterization. Although, the static contact angle is an excellent tool, more in-depth understanding of the surface properties require dynamic contact angle measurements.
The mass extracted by QCM-D and ellipsometry are often not the same. Read about what the difference is between these masses, and why they are not equal.
Blood-repellent surfaces are needed in medical devices that come in contact with blood. The traditional approach has been the use of antithrombotic surface treatments However, these coatings are prone to eventually wear-off. Superhydrophobic surfaces have been proposed as an alternative solution.
The term surfactant comes from the word surface active agent. At the interface, they align themselves so that the hydrophobic part is in the air and the hydrophilic part is in water. This will cause a decrease in surface or interfacial tensions.