Materials Science Forum, Vol.505-507, 1249-1254, 2006
Design, fabrication and study of micro-electros pray chips
This paper described design, fabrication and study of micro electrospray chips. The micro electrospray chips are fabricated by using micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) technology. The micro electrospray techniques can be used in many applications, including high viscous fluid dispenses for 3D rapid prototyping and biological sample analysis in mass spectrometer. In this study, micro electrospray chips with different wedge angels are investigated by using microscopic visualization techniques. Four spray modes are identified at various operation voltages and currents. It is found that the voltage for stable cone-jet mode decrease as wedge angle becomes smaller. On the other hand, it is also found that stable cone-jet mode represent a constant current range in current (I)-voltage(Phi) curve. It allows us to easily identify if the micro electrospray chips operate at cone-jet mode.
Keywords:electrospray;microfluidics