Measuring Contact Angles with a Smartphone and Lens Attachment (Advanced Guide)

📱 Using a smartphone to measure contact angle of liquid droplets on surfaces.

⚙️ Contact angle is a method to characterize the wetting properties of surfaces.

💧 Hydrophilic surfaces have a contact angle less than 90 degrees, while hydrophobic surfaces have a contact angle greater than 90 degrees.

💡 The lens attachment system for measuring contact angle using a smartphone is cost-effective and portable.

💰 The cost of the lens attachment system is at least 10 times cheaper than the VCA system.

🔍 The lens attachment system provides accurate contact angle measurements within a small difference compared to the VCA system.

📱 To measure contact angle, you will need a smartphone with a 4 megapixel camera or higher and a smartphone lens attachment.

💻 Download the ImageJ software (version 1.46) with Java and the drop analysis plugin.

💽 Install ImageJ and note the installation location on your computer's hard drive.

📱 The video provides instructions on how to measure contact angles using a smartphone.

🔍 The lens attachment components of the smartphone need to be removed before conducting contact angle measurements.

📏 The sample should be positioned flush with the edge of a workbench or table in a well-lit environment for accurate measurements.

📸 Position the smartphone close to the droplet and use the zoom and autofocus to capture a high-resolution image.

💻 Transfer the droplet images to a computer for analysis using email, file-sharing programs, or USB connection.

🔬 Open the droplet image in ImageJ for analysis and practice using the provided sample image.

📸 The image of the droplet must be grayscale and have a well-defined droplet edge.

🔍 The sample surface should have a minimal tilt angle and be close to the horizontal plane.

🔬 Magnification is often required for smartphone lens attachments to aid in measuring the static contact angle.

📱 Contact angle measurement using a smartphone and lens attachment is a cheaper alternative to video contact angle systems.

⚙️ The video explains the theory and definition of droplet contact angles and how they characterize surface wettability.

🔍 The Drop Snake user manual provides instructions for using the toolbar buttons and troubleshooting tips for the plugin.