Li Wei Tan: The fascinating science of bubbles, from soap to champagne
As a formulation scientist, Li Wei Tan is constantly finding ways to understand why something works and why it doesn't. Full bio
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during a beautiful summer afternoon.
floating on the riverbank,
surrounded by a crowd.
by asking for donations
tied with two strings.
a pair of sticks for 10 euros,
passionate about bubbles.
to make the giant bubbles
that the real tool is the bubble itself.
just children make while playing,
fascinating science to bubbles,
the science of creating bubbles
the microscopic ones.
let's start with the soap bubble.
constantly changing their colors.
at various directions
water molecules,
and one atom of oxygen -- H2O.
tend to curve inwards,
surface is like an elastic sheet.
is constantly being pulled inwards
is what we call "surface tension."
reduces the surface tension of water,
and easier to form bubbles.
as a mathematical problem-solver.
to achieve geometry perfection.
with the least surface area
is always in the shape of a sphere.
by sharing a common wall.
are added together,
geometry arrangement.
four cities that are equally apart,
to connect these four cities.
length to connect these four cities?
by dipping it into the soapy water.
will always try to minimize
something you expected.
to connect these four cities
between these two cities.
to minimize their surface area
in another perspective.
at Marwell Zoo in Southern England,
swim at speed under the water.
that the body of penguins
under the water
of utilizing the capability of bubbles
to dive a few hundred meters
the air under their feathers
as a cloud of bubbles.
of water surrounding them,
at least 40 percent.
by the ship manufacturers.
thousands of containers across the ocean.
called "air lubricating system,"
a lot of air bubbles
the whole of the ship,
that reduces the water resistance
consumption for the ship
delivery systems for drugs and genes
of drugs and magnetic agents
move to this part of my hand,
exactly where it's needed.
the science of creating bubbles.
"ink formulation scientist."
that you use for your writing pens.
how and why we want to remove the bubbles
solvents and additives
with the properties we want
will be trapped inside that ink.
about a different space
inside those inks
that is trapped inside.
removing them is not easy.
light-emitting diodes inks
for your smartphone, for example.
absorbed with oxygen and moisture
dark spots appear in the pixels.
in removing the microbubbles
a thin, long and tiny tube
inside the vacuum chamber,
squeezed out from the ink
from the ink that we produce,
rushing out from the champagne bottle.
filled with carbon dioxide,
the fermentation process of the wine.
to the top of the champagne.
of aroma molecules
the flavor of champagne.
passionate about bubbles,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Li Wei Tan - Formulation scientistAs a formulation scientist, Li Wei Tan is constantly finding ways to understand why something works and why it doesn't.
Why you should listen
For Li Wei Tan, curiosity is a primary motivation of her work. A senior scientist for Merck KGaA Darmstadt, Germany in Chilworth, United Kingdom, she is responsible for developing ink formulations, new materials and integrations into the company's OPV portfolios, including providing technical advice to new customers. Previously, she worked in Merck's organic electronics R&D group. Her formal studies have straddled fields of nanotechnologies, material science and analytical chemistry.
Li Wei Tan | Speaker | TED.com