Capillary rise on a tapered cylindrical rod creates a static axisymmetric meniscus that quantitatively attracts buoyant particles into a single microscopic field of view, providing a new method for small particle microscopy. This approach simplifies the visualization of micrometre-sized particles, such as pollen and parasite eggs, and has potential utility in remote location monitoring and clinical diagnosis.
© 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.