Acoustic levitator for structure measurements on low temperature liquid droplets

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Supercooled liquids are crucial for understanding glass transitions.
• Studying liquids at low temperatures presents significant experimental challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and utilize a single-axis acoustic levitator for investigating the structure of supercooled liquids.
• To enable precise temperature control (-40 to +40 °C) of levitated samples.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a single-axis acoustic levitator with two 22 kHz acoustic transducers (up to 160 dB).
• Integration of a temperature-controlled gas flow system (Cryostream Plus) and infrared thermal imaging.
• Application of modulated acoustic forces to excite sample oscillations and investigation at the Advanced Photon Source (x-ray beamline 11 ID-C).

Main Results:

• Successful levitation of liquid and solid drops (1-3 mm diameter) within the specified temperature range.
• Demonstration of acoustic force modulation for exciting sample oscillations.
• Enabled in-situ structural investigation of supercooled liquids using X-ray scattering.

Conclusions:

• The developed acoustic levitator is a versatile tool for studying the properties of supercooled liquids.
• Precise temperature control and acoustic manipulation open new avenues for materials science research.
• The system facilitates advanced structural analysis of challenging liquid states.