Modeling on Microdroplet Formation for Cell Printing Based on Alternating Viscous-Inertial Force Jetting

Drop-on-demand (DOD) microdroplet jetting technology has diverse applications ranging from additive manufacturing (AM) and the integrated circuit (IC) industry to cell printing. An engineering model of droplet formation can provide insights for optimizing the process and ensuring its controllability and reproducibility. This paper reports a development of an engineering model on the fluid outflow and microdroplet formation based on alternating viscous-inertial force jetting (AVIFJ). The model provides a fundamental understanding on the mechanism of droplet formation driven by the alternating viscous force and inetial force. Furthermore, the model studies the fluid acceleration, velocity, and displacement under the conditions of a uniform cylindrical nozzle and a nonuniform cylindrical nozzle. In conjunction with an energy-based criterion for droplet formation, the model is applied to predict the formability of single microdroplets and the volume and velocity of formed microdroplets. A series of experiments was conducted to validate the developed model. The results show that the model predictions agree well with the experimental results. Specifically, comparing the model prediction and experimental results, the maximum difference of drop diameter is 4 μm, and the maximum difference of drop velocity is 0.3 m/s. These results suggest that the developed theoretical model will provide guidance to the subsequent cell printing applications.