Physicist Make Droplets Dance Above A Surface

November 18, 2008

Our blood, sweat and tears are three precious fluids that can answer lots of questions about the state of our health but testing small amounts of bodily fluids, without contaminating them through contact with solid surfaces or other fluids, is something that fluid mechanics have long pondered.

A group of physicists from the University of Liege, Belgium, is publishing research in the New Journal of Physics today, Tuesday, 18 November, which shows how lab technicians can make droplets dance, float and bounce above a surface, keeping small amounts of fluid free of contamination and ripe for testing.

Several years ago, acoustic levitation was introduced to keep a droplet separate from its surroundings but the equipment required for this is complex, big and expensive. Alternatively, the technique of bouncing droplets was introduced in 2005 but until now it could only be used on a specific range of droplets with high viscosity.

Lab technicians can now make droplets dance, float and bounce above a surface, keeping small amounts of fluid free of contamination and ripe for testing. (Credit: Image courtesy of Institute of Physics)

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Posted in Health, Physics, Science and Technology