Easy-to-use optical method invented to help disperse particles

Most particles that disperse in liquids aggregate rapidly and eventually precipitate, thereby separating from the liquid phase. But there has been no easy-to-use method to quantitatively determine the hydrophobicity of these micro- and nanoparticles. Now, a scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering has invented a groundbreaking method that allows for easy determination of the surface free energy of carbon nanotubes, graphene, and polystyrene particles as a quantitative measure of their hydrophobicity.