# About openQCM NEXT > Source page: https://openqcm.com/about-openqcm-next > Markdown version for AI agents and readers of plain text. Site guide: https://openqcm.com/llms.txt · Everything in one file: https://openqcm.com/llms-full.txt ## openQCM NEXT. The flagship instrument. Multi-overtone QCM-D, active thermal control to ±0.01 °C, and optional modules for electrochemistry, optical access and pipetting. [Request a quote →](https://openqcm.com/contacts/)[Download user guide (PDF)](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/openqcm-next-user-guide.pdf) ![openQCM NEXT — front view of the QCM with heatsink](https://openqcm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/openQCM_NEXT_hero.png) 01 / The instrument ### The NEXT bridge. A compact benchtop unit, 20 × 8 × 4 cm and 260 g. One USB cable to the computer, one 5 VDC supply for the Peltier stage. Engineered to be inspected. 02 / Inside the bridge ### The thermal envelope. A Peltier-driven thermal bridge sits directly under the sample chamber. Closed-loop control to ±0.01 °C — the variance that makes multi-overtone fits trustworthy. 03 / Modules ### Snap-on, snap-off. Three optional modules. Electrochemistry adds a ~15 ml three-electrode cell for your potentiostat. Optical adds a quartz window. Pipetting opens the crystal to direct pipetting. All plug into the same heatsink. 04 / In the lab ### On your bench. A 260 g unit on USB, inlet and outlet ready for your pump (pump-out recommended). It fits in the corner of any bench where a QCM-D would have lived. 01 / Highlights ### Engineered for the hard measurements. Multi-overtone resolution, closed-loop thermal control, and a modular architecture that extends the instrument well beyond the standard QCM-D measurement. 01 / Overtones #### n = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 in every cycle, ~1.4 s per overtone. Five harmonics from a single quartz crystal — enough to fit viscoelastic models (Voigt) without changing instruments. 02 / Thermal #### Closed-loop ±0.01 °C. A Peltier-driven thermal bridge holds the sample chamber for stable, reproducible overtone measurements. 03 / Method #### Sweep, not oscillator. A DDS sweeps around each resonance and a gain-phase detector reads it: frequency from the peak, dissipation from its width. 04 / Modules #### EC · optical · pipetting modules. Bolt-on hardware extensions for coupled measurements. Snap on, calibrate, run — without leaving the openQCM workflow. 05 / Fluidics #### Modular fluidic module. Standard, optical and pipetting variants. Only PTFE and an FKM O-ring touch the sample, in a ~50 µl chamber. 06 / Open #### Open firmware, open data. Modify the measurement, not just the data. Arduino-based firmware, Python software, data saved as CSV. No vendor lock-in. 02 / Thermal bridge ### Closed-loop temperature, locked. A Peltier-driven thermal bridge holds the sample chamber to **±0.01 °C** . That stability is what makes overtone fits reliable — and what separates a benchtop QCM from a research-grade QCM-D. 03 / Overtones ### Read the film, not just its weight. The fundamental tells you mass uptake. Overtones (n = 3, 5, 7, 9) tell you what the film is actually made of — rigid or viscoelastic, dry or solvated, tightly coupled or loosely bound. NEXT resolves all five from a single crystal. See the physics → 04 / Modules ### Beyond QCM-D. Three optional modules extend the measurement: electrochemistry, optical access and pipetting. EC · electrochemistry #### Coupled mass + charge measurements For NEXT · a separate EQCM module exists for Q-1 Read paper → Optical · window cell #### Watch the chamber while the surface changes mass NEXT · Ø 7 mm fused-silica window, custom windows of the same size Read paper → Pipetting · open cover #### Pipette directly onto the sensor NEXT · small lid against evaporation Read paper → 05 / Specifications ### The full spec sheet. Everything you would ask in an engineering review. Anything not listed here is open in the schematics — clone the repo and inspect for yourself. Acquisition Modes Multi-overtone QCM-D *(Δf, ΔD)* n = 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 Sampling ~1.4 s per overtone Thermal control Range 25 °C – 45 °C Peltier, heating and cooling Stability *±0.01 °C* after 60 s settle Controller Thorlabs MTD415T PID, user adjustable Fluidics Fluidic module Standard · optical · pipetting PTFE core, FKM O-ring wetted Chamber volume ~50 µl standard fluidic module Pumping Pump-out recommended channels < 1 mm Crystal Crystals 5 & 10 MHz · AT-cut 14 mm Ø, Ti/Au, wrapped electrode Electrodes Ti/Au Ø 12 mm front / Ø 5 mm back Connectivity & software Host USB (serial) Windows / macOS / Linux Data CSV open format Source GitHub · *open* CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Mechanical Dimensions 200 × 80 × 40 mm L × W × H Weight 260 g main unit Power 5 VDC USB + 5 VDC Peltier 5 V / 2.1 A adaptor included 06 / Downloads ### Software, firmware, documentation. Software [openQCM NEXT executable (WIN 64-bit) ZIP · v0.1.5](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/software/openqcm-next-software-0.1.5-windows.zip) [Python source code ZIP · v0.1.5](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/software/openqcm-next-software-0.1.5-source.zip) [Teensy firmware ZIP · v0.1.5](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/software/openqcm-next-firmware-0.1.5-teensy.zip) [Source on GitHub ↗](https://github.com/openQCM) Documentation [openQCM NEXT user guide PDF](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/openqcm-next-user-guide.pdf) [Software user guide (v0.1.5 r02) PDF](https://openqcm.com/downloads/next/software/openqcm-next-software-user-guide.pdf) 07 / Field record ### NEXT, in the literature. A small selection of recent publications where NEXT was the measurement instrument. Full index on the Papers page. bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) #### A biofilm-derived peptide as an underwater adhesive bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026 [Read paper →](https://openqcm.com/scientific-papers/a-biofilm-derived-peptide-as-an-underwater-adhesive) SSRN Electronic Journal #### Neutron reflectometry and lung cancer in vitro study of the interaction between mesoporous magnetic nanocarriers and plasma membranes SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026 [Read paper →](https://openqcm.com/scientific-papers/neutron-reflectometry-and-lung-cancer-in-vitro-study-of-the-interaction-between-mesoporous-magnetic-nanocarriers-and-plasma-membranes) Gels #### Postannealing-Driven Optimization of Humidity Response in Densely and Loosely Grafted Polymer Films Gels · vol. 12 · 2026 [Read paper →](https://openqcm.com/scientific-papers/postannealing-driven-optimization-of-humidity-response-in-densely-and-loosely-grafted-polymer-films) ### See NEXT in your lab. We ship worldwide from Pompeii, Italy. Demo units available for European institutions on request — we'll send an engineer to commission it. [Request a quote →](https://openqcm.com/contacts/) [Visit the store ↗](https://store.openqcm.com/) [Visit the store ↗](https://store.openqcm.com/) --- openQCM by Novaetech S.r.l., Pompeii, Italy · Buy: https://store.openqcm.com/ · Contact: info@openqcm.com · https://openqcm.com/contacts