A Quartz Crystal Microbalance, Which Tracks Four Overtones in Parallel with a Time Resolution of 10 Milliseconds:...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Physical Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) is a sensitive mass-sensing technique.
• Analyzing rapid dynamic processes requires high time resolution.
• Multi-overtone QCM analysis provides richer information than single-frequency measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a fast, multi-overtone QCM with 10-millisecond resolution.
• To investigate dynamic changes in sample properties during rapid events.
• To apply the technique to understand thermal inkjet printing processes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized multi-frequency lock-in amplification for simultaneous overtone interrogation.
• Achieved a time resolution of 10 milliseconds.
• Analyzed resonance frequency (Δf) and bandwidth (ΔΓ) shifts across four overtones.

Main Results:

• Observed rapid frequency shifts (<10 ms) during inkjet droplet impact.
• Quantified increasing contact area via frequency and bandwidth prefactors.
• Demonstrated a decreasing energy dissipation ratio (ΔΓ/(-Δf)) over time, indicative of liquid-to-solid transition.
• Identified power-law exponents characteristic of Newtonian liquids, evolving with time due to evaporation and film formation.

Conclusions:

• The fast, multi-overtone QCM is effective for studying dynamic interfacial phenomena.
• Inkjet printing involves rapid changes in liquid properties and surface film formation.
• The technique provides insights into energy dissipation and phase transitions during drying processes.