Ejection of Liquid Droplets into Immiscible Liquid from a Thermal Inkjet Nozzle

摘要

InkJet technology, in which microdroplets are ejected with a high repetition frequency from a small nozzle, has been applied not only to printing but also to various manufacturing processes such as the formation of electrical circuits between IC chips, the synthesis of DNA and fine coatings[l]. Although the microdroplets are usually ejected into a gas atmosphere, high-reproducibility ejection into an immiscible liquid would enable novel applications in the production of monodispersed microemulsions, microcapsules[2], vesicles and liposomes, which would contribute extensively to industries such as chemical, food, agricultural chemicals, medicine, and cosmetics industries. The present study demonstrates the successive ejection of water droplets into an immiscible organic liquid with high repetition frequency using a commercially available thermal inkjet (TIJ) nozzle. The droplet formation process, ejection velocity, shooting depth and particle size distribution are examined herein.