The essential component of expanding an undergraduate curriculum is the inclusion of lab experiments in nanoscience and nanomaterials, which significantly impact health and the environment through their use in food, cosmetics, agriculture, and medicine. We designed a laboratory experiment based on the atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis of the…

We present a simple and affordable method for making a surface electrodynamic trap for microparticles. The principles of electrodynamic trapping of charged particles are discussed and step-by-step instructions on how to make a surface trap are given. In addition to the electrodynamic trap implementation and operation process, options for its…

The article introduces a low-cost Arduino sensor into the Young's modulus determination laboratory for physics university students. A stainless steel ruler is used as a cantilever beam. Its free end attached a mass is slightly bent and released to make it oscillate as a simple harmonic motion. The Arduino sensor detects the moving mass's frequency…

We present a modernization of the undergraduate physical chemistry laboratory experiment for determining the speed of sound in various gases from resonant frequencies in a spherical resonator. The resonator (schematic IR = 7.5 cm) is constructed by 3D printing with eco-friendly poly(lactic acid), a commercially viable alternative to traditional…

This article describes a simple setup of electrospinning using widely available resources. The Arduino board, an electronic platform that is commonly accessible was adapted for a controller. Specifically, recycled parts consisting of plastic gears and a lipstick case were incorporated for the construction of a syringe pump. A cheap DC-DC converter…

In this article, we examine the rotation angle dependence of a hand-made fan-type variable capacitor for use in physics experiments in university classes. We made two circular bakelite plates, and the two terminal plates of the capacitor were 90° fan-type copper disks. The capacitance varied linearly with the rotation angle. The standard deviation…

Heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, exhibit intrinsic contractility in vitro. We found that commercially-available mammalian cardiomyocytes serve as an excellent model system for studying the cytoskeleton and cellular contractility, fundamental topics in undergraduate cell and molecular biology courses. Embryonic rat cardiomyocytes were plated…

During the SARS-2-COVID pandemic our institution sought to continue the teaching and learning of experimental laboratories by designing, assembling, and delivering a microscale chemistry kit to the students' homes. Thanks to this approach students were able to perform [approximately]25 experiments during each one of the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021…

This paper describes the development of a light polarization experimental apparatus for a remote laboratory. The apparatus had been developed by controlling the analyzer rotation using a stepper motor controlled via the Arduino. Device control and data acquisition applications were developed with LabVIEW which provides remote control panel…

At constant current (I) the forward bias potential (V) of a "pn" junction diode may be considered to vary linearly with temperature (t) within a temperature range. Based on this property we have constructed diode thermometer using germanium (Ge) and silicon (Si) diodes. The experimental "V-t" data at constant forward current…

A fluorometer is a device that measures the spectroscopic properties of fluorescent materials, and fluorometry is used widely in chemistry research settings to characterize fluorescent samples. One of the obstacles faced by undergraduate programs looking to implement fluorometer-based experiments into their laboratory curriculum is the high cost…

In this article we describe the construction of a low-cost electronic device to adapt the widespread traditional approach of Analytical Chemistry teaching into laboratory experimentation based on the guided research model. To this aim we construct a portable electronic instrument based on the Arduino microcontroller and use it to develop various…

To study the absorption of ultrasound in plexiglas we propose to use gadgets that are available to each student: an ultrasound humidifier, a liquid crystal display of a pad, a polaroid analyzer, a digital camera, a multimeter with thermocouple, and a stopwatch. These devices allow us to visualize a region in plexiglas where ultrasound is absorbed…

Thin-layer chromatography, which involves the movement of dyes along a silica-coated plate, is used to observe the progress of chemical reactions and to separate mixtures. We took advantage of this phenomenon to devise a method for generating patterns in the shape of numbers with dots (dot matrix). We prepared the azo dyes necessary for generating…

Experimental electrochemistry offers unique opportunities for interactive instruction at all levels of education; however, widespread adoption in curricula is hindered by high costs associated with electrochemical instrumentation. Thus, the development of affordable instruments represents an essential step toward making electrochemistry accessible…