What you can study

Applications controlled by interfacial rheology, including:

  • Biological systems such as pulmonary lung surfactant and meibum. Their functionality is largely based on their flow on interphases under stress.
  • Emulsions and foams whose stability is vital for their functionality. Viscoelasticity of the liquid-liquid interface can predict the stability of a colloidal system. Micelle/droplet fusion and fission are largely dependent on the interface viscoelasticity.
  • Food products, cosmetics, biophysics, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, application areas where molecules at interfaces have a significant impact on the system performance.

Langmuir monolayer structural studies, including:

  • Phase changes, as the viscoelasticity of the layer is strongly affected by the microstructure of the monolayer.
  • Surface reactions such as crosslinking in real-time, as changes in molecular size and shape have typically a strong response in their rheological properties.
  • Aggregation and adsorption, as they typically change the viscoelasticity of the film.

3 reasons to invest

Highly sensitive measurements

The lightweight magnetized probes enable highly sensitive measurement with minimum interaction between the instrument and the probe.

Full control of the probe

The magnetic trap keeps the probe positioned even through a long experiment or during procedures such as monolayer spreading. The strength of the trap can be precisely controlled by moving the trap closer or further away from the probe. This also enables wide moduli and frequency range for a single probe.

Expand your measurement possibilities

ISR Flip supports two camera positions to suit more purposes. Combining the instrument with a Langmuir trough allows the control of the monolayer packing density. The same trough can be used for both air-liquid and liquid-liquid measurements.

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KSV NIMA ISR Flip is used to study interfacial viscoelasticity of the thin films. The method is based on shear deformation. The measurement is performed with the help of a magnetized probe. The probe is oscillated at the air-liquid or liquid-liquid interface using the mobile magnetic trap. The movement of the probe is recorded with a high-resolution camera, and the viscoelastic properties of the film can be calculated.

Product range

ISR Flip can be equipped with either ISR Flip high compression trough or a low volume cell. The ISR Flip high compression trough enables simultaneous control of the packing density of the thin film, whereas low volume cell is more suitable when amount of thin film material is limited or the subphase volume needs to be reduced.

Both systems enable surface pressure measurement thanks to the integrated highly sensitive Wilhelmy balance. The ISR Flip high compression trough and the Low volume cell are divided into an upper and lower compartment, which can be used to study film viscoelasticity at the liquid-air or liquid-liquid interface.

ISR Flip is designed for easy injection of the chemicals to enable real-time chemical interactions studies. For example, the low volume cell has two injection ports at each end of the cell to enable easy injection of materials (e.g. proteins, enzymes) in the subphase and to allow gradual subphase exchange while measuring.

Technical specifications

Measurements
Frequency range (Hz)
 0.01 - 10
Dynamic moduli range (N/m)
 2x10-8 - 1
Dynamic moduli resolution (N/m)
 1x10-8
Strain range (%)
 0.04 - 20a

Instrument
Camera
 USB 3.0 digital camera with zoom
Camera resolution
 1980 x 1200
Field of view (Φ, mm)
 4.7 mm x 2.93 mm / 0.73 mm x 0.45 mm
Instrument dimensions (LxWxH, mm)
 400 x 280 x 600
Weight (kg)
 21

Langmuir Troughs

  ISR Flip High Compression ISR Flip Low Volume
Surface area (cm2) 588 13.2
Trough top inner dimensions, lower phase (LxWxH, mm) 784 x 75 x 10 120 x 11 x 6.5
Trough top inner dimensions, upper phase, (LxWxH, mm) 784 x 95 x 7 120 x 19 x 6
Lower subphase volume (ml) 588 4.7
Upper subphase volume (ml) 521 13.9
Maximum compression ratio 7.8 N.A.
Barrier speed (mm/min) 0.1 - 270 0.1 - 270
Balance measuring range (mN/m) 0 - 300 0 - 150b
Maximum balance load (g) 1 1
Balance resolution (μN/m) 0.03 0.04b
Instrument dimensions (L x W x H, mm) 908 x 280 x 600 400 x 280 x 770
Computer requirements 2.4 GHz processor, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB hard disk drive (20 GB free), 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, 1 USB 3.0 Port, Windows 10 operating system

KSV NIMA ISR Software

KSV NIMA ISR software is a versatile tool for interfacial rheology determination.

Software features

  • Versatile measurements. 
    Frequency sweeps, single frequency experiments, and amplitude sweep are all included.
  • Automation for simplicity. 
    An automated feedback loop keeps the needle amplitude constant in different conditions.
  • Seeing is believing. 
    Live view of the needle oscillation is shown for deeper understanding.
  • All-in-one. 
    Data acquisition, analysis, plotting and exporting are all in the same software.
  • Connected to KSV NIMA LB. 
    Use together with KSV NIMA LB for integration in surface pressure and surface area data.

Add more possibilities

We have selected a few extras compatible with the ISR Flip. 

Low volume cell

Form sintered solid non-porous Teflon low volume cell for studies where the amount of material is limited. Volume down to 4.7 ml. Can be used both in air-liquid and liquid-liquid interfaces.

ISR Flip probes

ISR Flip probes come in two sizes: LARGE and SMALL. The set contains 2 glass capillaries with weights of 5-10 mg (SMALL) or 2 capillaries with weights of 15-20 mg (LARGE). The glass surface is coated with silane to increase hydrophobicity.

Cabinet for KSV NIMA Trough Systems

In situations where an ideal cleanroom environment is not available or air flows causes issues, a suitable alternative may be to house your instruments in one of our dust and draught exclusion cabinets.

Active vibration isolation system large

The active vibration isolation system allows you to remove vibrations in order to improve the quality of your measurements. It enables you to eliminate disturbing vibrations caused by other instruments, air conditioning systems, buildings, and constructions in a zone of seismic activity, cars, and traffic in general.

What our collaborators say

ISR Flip was created in close collaboration with UNED in Madrid. Hear their thoughts about the development of the instrument. 

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia UNED, Spain

“We realized that the use of a mobile magnetic trap to drive the probe was a game changer of this technique in terms of both accuracy and user’s experience. We enjoyed being part of this collaboration to provide the scientific and industrial community with this advance.”

30X30_VERDE

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia UNED, Spain

Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia UNED in Madrid is the largest university in Spain, both in terms of students and academic offerings. UNED was founded in 1972 with the aim of making higher education available to more, no matter where you live or your social background. Equality is a keyword for the university. 

Learn more

We have gathered all our in-depth knowledge associated with ISR. Browse around amongst webinars, white papers and overviews to find a topic of interest.