Droplet Lab’s Education Kit

A Lab-Grade Learning Tool

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Contents

1 Introduction
2 Why Surface Science Matters
3 Importance of Goniometers & Tensiometers in Lab
4 Why Droplet Lab's Educational Instrument is Superior
5 Comparison of Options
6 Conclusion

Introduction

Materials science is set to revolutionize various industries by introducing advanced materials that enhance superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning surfaces, anti-corrosion layers, and antimicrobial coatings. These innovations are not only transforming medical devices and aerospace engineering but also paving the way for significant technological breakthroughs.
Imagine room temperature superconductors, frictionless bearings, non-ablative and heatproof re-entry shields for spacecraft, efficient chemical catalysts, and new electrocatalysts improving green-energy generation processes. This branch of science is crucial for developing non-reactive biomedical implants, tissue engineering solutions, drug delivery systems, and enhancing overall biocompatibility. Innovations like Organs-on-a-Chip are already emulating tissues for rapid drug testing, reducing the need for animal experiments, and enhancing early disease detection.
Understanding these advancements begins with a comprehensive grasp of substance interactions at their interfaces—whether solid, liquid, gas, or vacuum. This knowledge starts with mastering concepts like surface tension, cohesion, and adhesion, using tools such as tensiometers and goniometers.

Why Surface Science Matters

Contact angle measurements have a wide range of applications. Plastic bags are fairly passé nowadays but they used to be heavily decorated by grocery stores with logos and other distinguishing marks. Paint or ink will not stick to polyethylene—the surface is not “wettable” without special processing.
An ultraviolet high-voltage, corona discharge “treater” is used to burn invisible microscopic pits in the surface, giving the ink molecules something to latch onto, making the print permanent. Chemical test pens are designed to reveal the level of “treat” the plastic has received (usually measured in dynes/cm2) to make sure the ink will adhere. It has to be a fast test, holding a continuous film for a fixed number of seconds before beading up, representing the drying time of the ink. These test markers are developed with tensiometers/goniometers.
Similarly, fabrics can be prepared with coatings of nano particles that prevent a droplet of liquid from overcoming its surface tension, being of such a size that the contact angle prevents “wetting” the surface. Consequently, the liquid will simply roll off of the material, leaving it dry. The nano-coatings are tested with tensiometers/ goniometers
The contact angle plays a major role, where if it is more obtuse, it has a higher resistance to wetting. One droplet with a contact angle (theta) of ninety degrees or less will have maximum wettability on a flat untreated surface (Fig 1). Facing a nano-coating Fig 1 Fig 2 Fig 3 with fixed distances and heights (Fig 2) the center portion of the drop may reach to the surface, but at the perimeter, the outer edge’s surface tension and more oblique contact angle will stop it from spreading.
Why Droplet Lab Educational Instrument
Another drop, or the same liquid on an even finer nano-coating or treatment (Fig 3), could exhibit even greater resistance, allowing its intrinsic surface tension to resist reaching the surface below, and high enough to make even less contact nearby. This allows the drop to sit higher and have even less adhesion to the surface, and resultantly make it much more prone to sliding off that surface with relative ease. This phenomena was first observed on Lotus leaves and some other plants that refused to get wet.

Importance of Goniometers & Tensiometers in Lab

Having the right tools in educational settings significantly enhances the learning experience. Tensiometers and goniometers provide accurate and reliable data essential for teaching and experiments on contact angles, surface tension, cohesion, and adhesion. These tools simplify complex theories, making them more accessible and engaging for students, while allowing educators to focus on generating accurate data.
Students can learn about and create surfactants to make things more wettable, or the hows and whys of molecular coatings which make them less so. This is vitally important in learning, and ultimately in research and practical applications. Designing a procedure and process to make certain the paint applied to a car will maintain the layer, not bead up, and thoroughly dry before it reaches the end of the assembly line is essential.
However, modern lab-grade tensiometers & goniometers can cost thousands of dollars, whereas do-it-yourself kits can be somewhat useful, but require very strong skills, not just to design and build, but to implement, and maintain. Neither of those choices come with ready-made learning packages. Instead, you design your own syllabus, which requires training, experience and expertise. Traditional instruments also require professional installation, complex maintenance, large amounts of time, and extensive training.

Why Droplet Lab's Educational Instrument is Superior

Comparison of Options

Let’s compare the features and benefits of our Education Kit vs. the alternatives., demonstrating why they are a must-have for any educational lab.
Parameters
DL Teaching Kits
Krüss Educational K6 Device
DIY & ImageJ Software
Price
$1,000
$5,000
>$200 → unlimited
Ease of Assembly
Easy, no experience required, taking ~10 minutes
Training required or professional installation; lengthy installation time
Very complex—requires significant DIY skills and experience
Usability
User-friendly and ideal for students
Requires training and time
Varies depending on DIY skills, but far less intuitive
Educational Content
Ready-made experiments for teachers to deploy
Limited. Requires creation, design, and presentation by user
None at all. All educational material must be created
Software Integration
Pre-integrated with Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. Further choices can be added as needed
Proprietary, advanced
Manual integration required
Accuracy
High, backed by peer-reviewed research
High, lab-grade
Variable depending on the DIY skill level and user design
Support & Training
Comprehensive support, easy to use
Available, but requires significant training
Limited—relies on community forum support
Maintenance
Low, minimal maintenance required
Moderate
High levels & DIY dependent; when it breaks, you fix it.

Conclusion

Ultimately, while complex instruments have their place in advanced research, simplicity and accuracy are often key in educational settings. Our Education Kit embodies this principle, offering a modern, efficient, and user-friendly tool for educators. Unlike traditional instruments, this lightweight, portable device ensures ease of use without sacrificing precision.
By integrating our kit into your learning curriculum, you’ll be helping students get to usable results faster; you will be enhancing the precision of your experiments, and providing product designers and students with hands-on experience using industryrelevant technology. The Education Kit has a versatile and affordable design making it an ideal choice for educational institutions, bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application.
Contact us today to discover how you can benefit by avoiding the enormous cash outlays for machines that may not be as capable, are difficult to share, and often require extensive setup. Embrace the simplicity and accuracy of the Education Kit to elevate your experimental capabilities and foster a deeper understanding of surface science principles.
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Droplet Lab was founded in 2016 by Dr. Alidad Amirfazli, faculty member at York University, and two of his researchers, Dr. Huanchen Chen and Dr. Jesus L. Muros-Cobos.

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