Continuous ink supply and circulation system for a multi-nozzle electrospray

Abstract

The electrospray deposition method has been used in many applications, such as mass spectroscopy, thin film deposition, bio-applications, painting and coating. However, low flow rates must be used for electrospraying to maintain a stable cone jet mode, while most applications require high throughput. To overcome the slow deposition rate, the use of a multi-nozzle electrospray should be considered. In a typical multi-nozzle electrospray system, ink in a syringe barrel is fed to the nozzles by a syringe pump or pressure regulator. However, if the ink in the syringe barrel is depleted, the entire process should be stopped to refill the ink. In this study, we propose a new head design and an ink supply system for a multi-nozzle electrospray system so that ink can be continuously supplied to the nozzles without ink being depleted during the electrospray process. The proposed system is based on circulation through the multi-nozzle electrospray head so that unexpected air bubbles in the head can be easily removed.