US 12,135,269 B2
System and method for measuring surface tension of a levitated sample
Nevin B. Brosius, Gainesville, FL (US); Ranganathan Narayanan, Gainesville, FL (US); and Michael P. SanSoucie, Huntsville, AL (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATED, Gainesville, FL (US); and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATOR OF NASA, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc., Gainesville, FL (US); and United States of America As Represented By The Administrator of NASA, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/505,224.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/093,391, filed on Oct. 19, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0120653 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 13/02 (2006.01); G06T 7/62 (2017.01)
CPC G01N 13/02 (2013.01) [G06T 7/62 (2017.01); G01N 2013/0225 (2013.01); G01N 2013/0283 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for measuring surface tension of a levitated sample, comprising:
levitating a sample using electrostatic levitation;
applying a signal to at least one electrode, wherein the signal excites the sample into a n=3 mode of oscillation, where the signal is swept over a range of frequencies during which the n=3 mode of oscillation is excited and that includes a predetermined frequency;
capturing a plurality of images of the sample using a camera device, a respective image of the plurality of images being associated with a particular frequency that is applied to the sample when the respective image is captured;
quantifying, using at least one computing device, a plurality of sample resonance using a projection method of Legendre polynomials based on the plurality of images, a respective sample resonance being associated with a respective image and a particular frequency that is applied to the sample when the respective image is captured; and
determining, using the at least one computing device, a measured resonance frequency of the sample by an analysis of the plurality of sample resonance that indicates that the respective sample resonance shows a maximum response deviation of the levitated sample, wherein the measured resonance frequency is the particular frequency that is associated with the respective sample resonance.