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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Microtensiometer for Confocal Microscopy Visualization of Dynamic Interfaces
Published on: September 9, 2022
Sub-micrometer precision of optical imaging to locate the free surface of a micrometer fluid shape
J M Montanero1, E J Vega, C Ferrera
1Department of Mechanical, Energetic and Material Engineering, University of Extremadura, Avda. De Elvas s/n, E-06071 Badajoz, Spain. jmm@unex.es
Abstract:
In this note, we explore the precision of the optical imaging method for measuring the free surface position of a micrometer fluid shape. For this purpose, images of a liquid film deposited on a rod were acquired and processed. The resulting contour was compared with the corresponding solution to the Young-Laplace equation. The average deviation was about 30nm, 25 times smaller than the pixel size, reflecting the validity of optical imaging for most applications in microfluidics.

