Atomic force microscopy reveals liquids adjust viscosity when confined, shaken

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A liquid cell containing water allows viscosity measurements of the water to be collected with an atomic force microscope. A study led by Elisa Riedo an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Physics revealed that confined liquids can resp ...
A liquid cell containing water allows viscosity measurements of the water to be collected with an atomic force microscope. A study led by Elisa Riedo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Physics, revealed that confined liquids can respond and modify their viscosity based on environmental changes. Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek

Getting ketchup out of the bottle isn’t always easy. However, shaking the bottle before trying to pour allows the thick, gooey ketchup to flow more freely because it becomes more fluid when agitated. The opposite is not typically true – a liquid such as water does not become a gel when shaken.


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