Fig. 1: Overview of the self-driving surfactant characterisation using the robotic module.
From: An autonomous robotic module for efficient surface tension measurements of formulations
a Illustration of the control and data flow architecture of the robotic platform. The platform is supplied with a surfactant stock solution and sample information by the user. The orchestrator then calculates target concentrations, instructs the robotic system to prepare samples, and performs surface tension measurements by imaging and analysing the pendant drop profile. Based on prior results, a Bayesian model proposes new formulations for measurement. This loop continues for a set number of iterations. Surface tension data, associated images and derived properties are stored in a database. b Plot of a typical surface tension isotherm, with coloured regions indicating physical interpretations of parameters in the Szyszkowski equation. This equation is fitted to experimentally determined surface tension measurements (black crosses), using three fitting parameters: critical micelle concentration (CMC, green), the maximum surface excess concentration (Γmax, orange) and the Langmuir constant (KL, blue).
