Micro-droplet ejection based on controllable cavity collapse within confined interface

Zeyu Kong, Zexiang Yan, Kun Zhang, Yalin Tang, Zhaoyang Ou, Weizheng Yuan, Xianglian Lv, Yang He

科研成果: 期刊稿件文章同行评审

1 引用 (Scopus)

摘要

Micro-drop ejection technology has been widely employed in cell analysis, drug delivery, microreactors, and various other fields due to its high accuracy and resolution, which can accurately control and dispense liquid materials. However, the current development of this technology faces challenges due to nozzle diameter limitations. Smaller droplets require finer nozzles for ejection. Nevertheless, fine nozzles cause significant fluid resistance, hindering micro-droplet ejection. Overcoming the constraint posed by nozzle and achieving high-precision micro-droplets ejection has become a challenging task for the industry. Inspired by the phenomenon of cavity collapse in nature, we have developed a micro-droplet ejection technology based on actively controlling the cavity collapse within the confined interface. By analyzing the formation and collapse of the liquid cavity, we have identified three ejection modes: no droplet, single droplet, and satellite droplet, and further delineated the boundary conditions for minimizing droplet size and ejecting satellite-free droplets. Using this technology, we achieved precise control over droplet size within a defined range, with the minimum droplet diameter reaching 34 % of the nozzle diameter. Furthermore, the continuous ejection of single droplets demonstrated excellent stability and repeatability. This innovative technology could provide a novel approach to achieve high accuracy and controllability in micro-droplets ejection, liberating it from nozzle constraints, thus expected to play a significant role in the fields of biomedical research, chemical engineering, and printed electronics.

源语言英语
文章编号115937
期刊Sensors and Actuators, A: Physical
379
DOI
出版状态已出版 - 1 12月 2024

指纹

探究 'Micro-droplet ejection based on controllable cavity collapse within confined interface' 的科研主题。它们共同构成独一无二的指纹。

引用此