Dynamic regimes of electrified liquid filaments

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of an electrified liquid filament in a nozzle-to-substrate configuration with a close separation. The interplay between compressive viscous and electrostatic stresses dictates previously undocumented transitions between dynamic regimes of “jetting,” “coiling,” and “whipping.” In particular, the onsets of both coiling and whipping instabilities are significantly influenced by the minimum radius along the liquid filament. Using a low-interfacial-tension system, we unravel the physics behind the transitions between jetting, coiling, and whipping of an electrified filament for a range of liquid properties and geometric parameters. Our results enrich the overall physical picture of the electrically forced jets, and provide insights for the emerging high-resolution instability-assisted printing of materials such as folded assemblies and scaffolds.