Understanding of droplet dynamics and deposition area in electrospraying process: Modeling and experimental Approaches

TL;DR

This paper develops a simplified 2D model and conducts experiments to understand how controllable parameters affect droplet deposition area in electrospraying, aiding optimized process control.

Contribution

It introduces a new simplified model and experimental validation for droplet dynamics and deposition area in electrospraying, focusing on parameter effects.

Findings

Sprayed area diameter increases with tip-collector distance.

Sprayed area diameter increases with syringe feed rate.

Model and experiments agree on parameter effects.

Abstract

Electrospraying is a widely-used technique for generating microspherical droplets in biomedical and chemical applications and considered as an effective approach for the deposition on substrate. However, studies on effects of controllable parameters on deposition area of electrosprayed droplets have not been reported yet. In this study, a simplified two-dimensional model is developed to study the dynamic process of droplets and electrosprayed area. The effects of distance between the needle tip and collector, and syringe feed rate on the size of sprayed area are quantified. Experiments have been conducted to validate the simulation results. Both modeling and experimental data demonstrate that the diameter of sprayed area increases with increased distance between the tip and collector as well as feed rate. This fundamental understanding should contribute to a wise choice of controllable parameters to achieve an efficient utilization of electrosparyed droplets or substrate for real applications.