Hello dear RG community.
I'm doing PIV in water with red fluorescent 8 micron polystyrene PIV particles (Fischer catalog number 36-3B https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/36-3B).
I have a problem adding them to water. The moment they touch the water surface, they, first, lump together, second, stay on the surface.
It's very tedious to break the lumps and submerge the particles mechanically (i.e. manually with a stick).
I'm wondering if there is a way to get the particles in water without those issues.
Thank you in advance.
Ivan
P.S. I have noticed an uptick of spam in the threads recently. For instance, people would post "following" as a reply, or just copy-paste google search. I'm sorry, but if such replies occur in this thread, I will delete them.
Perhaps a little detergent would help, such as Triton X-100 or Tween-20, which are commonly found in bio labs. The surface of the beads is presumably very hydrophobic, so detergent should help them interact favorably with water.
Yep, some detergent or possibly some protein would help - you want the beads to be hydrophilic.
Have you tried to disperse them in an organic solvent (ethanol or DMSO) first, then adding the suspension to water?
Alternatively, you may try some hydrophilic beads - if they are available.
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