Tiny droplets, in a tiny pipette
Zeptoliter is not a term you hear very often. Researchers at Brookhaven designed an experiment to see how tiny amounts of liquid freeze, using a device which can produce a droplet one billionth of a trillionth of a liter. At that size, liquids solidify like pudding — a small skin forms around the outside. (at normal sizes, solidification typically crystallizes around an impurity)
The device looks pretty nifty, and if this story gets any traction, BoingBoing will probably call it steampunk. But it’s the miniature “reservoir tip” of the pipette that gets nano enthusiasts going. Or zepto enthusiasts, if they exist. More pics, along with a more technical description, here.
