A new emitter for electrospray and electrohydrodynamic jet printing

Abstract

We propose using a dielectric beveled nozzle for electrospray and electrohydrodynamic jet printing. This nozzle stabilizes the liquid ejection of low-conductivity liquids, considerably reducing the minimum flow rate below which the flow becomes unstable. This translates into a significant reduction of the minimum jet diameter. Due to its dielectric character, electrochemical reactions occurring in metallic beveled nozzles (e.g. hypodermic needles) do not occur, preserving the purity of the liquid. This property makes this nozzle appropriate for Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) or bioplotting. We illustrate the capabilities of this new technique by conducting (i) electrospray experiments with Newtonian liquids and (ii) electrohydrodynamic jet printing experiments with viscoelastic fluids. Jets with diameters around 1 $\mu$m are produced with low-conductivity liquids such as octanol and glycerine. Viscoelastic threads a few microns in diameter are gently deposited on a moving substrate to print out uniform lines tens of nanometers in height. Due to the strong stabilizing effect of the beveled nozzle, the minimum flow rate and jet diameter were much smaller than the respective values obtained with the cylindrical capillary in the electrospray and electrohydrodynamic jet printing experiments. The proposed technique opens new routes for electrospray and electrohydrodynamic jet printing.