Designing and 3D Printing an Improved Method of Measuring Contact Angle in the Middle School Classroom
Designing and 3D Printing an Improved Method of Measuring Contact Angle in the Middle School Classroom
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DOI：
10.1021/acs.jchemed.1c00098
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发表时间：
2021-05-12
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Keating, Christine D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Crowe, Charles D.;Hendrickson-Stives, Albanie K.;Keating, Christine D.
水和表面之间的相互作用在我们的日常生活中可以观察到，并在实验室中用于研究材料的性质，如界面张力。在基础科学现象和日常观察之间建立联系是突出科学对K-12人口的重要性和相关性的有力方法。通常，昂贵的设备，如专用的接触角测角仪，在实验室中用于观察水如何与材料相互作用。为K-12教室获得这样的实验室级设备不仅困难而且没有必要。因此，我们提出了一种经济实惠的3D打印装置，用于在各种自然和合成表面上可靠地测量水的接触角，使用智能设备（例如，手机，平板电脑）作为成像基础。这种设置可以实现适当的背光，稳定的相机支架以获得高质量的图像，以及一个易于调节的平台来容纳样品的平坦表面。与简单地用手拿着智能设备相比，3D打印方法在测量接触角时提供了更好的图像质量和改进的数据采集体验。在中学环境中的使用表明，这种3D打印方法对于亲水和疏水表面上的水/表面相互作用的教学是成功的。这种方法可以很容易地适应学习目标，允许教育者探索生物和合成起源的一系列疏水和亲水表面。
The interaction between water and surfaces is observed in our daily lives and is used in laboratories to study materials properties, such as interfacial tension. Making the connection between fundamental scientific phenomena and everyday observations is a powerful method of highlighting the importance and relevance of science to the K-12 population. Typically, expensive equipment, such as dedicated contact angle goniometers, is used in laboratories to observe how water interacts with materials. Obtaining such laboratory-grade equipment for the K-12 classroom is not only difficult but also unnecessary. Thus, we present an affordable 3D printed setup for the reliable measurement of the contact angle of water on a variety of natural and synthetic surfaces, using smart devices (e.g., cell phone, tablet) as the imaging basis. This setup enables proper backlighting, a stable camera holder for quality images, and a flat surface with an easily adjustable platform to hold the sample. Compared to simply holding the smart device by hand, the 3D printed method provided better quality images and an improved data acquisition experience when measuring the contact angle. Use in a middle school setting has shown that this 3D printed method is successful for teaching about water/surface interactions on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces. This method can easily be adapted to suit learning objectives, allowing educators to explore a range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces of both biological and synthetic origin.