Experimental investigation of different jetting modes in electrohydrodynamic printing

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing is a new technology that its applications span from biotechnology to photonics and plasmonics. In this micro- and nano-manufacturing technique, electric fields are used to eject droplets or jets from nozzles with micro-scale diameters. Different jetting modes like dripping, pulsating cone -jet, stable cone-jet, microdripping, and electrospray can be achieved based on the values of different parameters like the voltage of the electric field, the constant pressure or the flow rate that delivers the fluid to the nozzle head, the inner and outer diameters of the nozzle, the distance between the nozzle head and the substrate, and the properties of the fluid. In this study, different jetting modes are obtained for acetone and a solution of water and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). A high-speed camera is used to record these jetting modes. The results represent that the main jetting modes are pulsating cone-jet, stable cone-jet, continuous microdripping, and pulsating microdripping.