Electrospray propelled by ionic wind in a bipolar system for direct delivery of charge reduced nanoparticles

Abstract

Abstract We present a conceptual design to generate and deliver nanoparticles in one unique system based on electrohydrodynamic atomisation (EHDA) without the restriction of the collector. The present EHDA bipolar configuration consists of a capillary nozzle and a pin, both act as emitters and as the reference electrodes of each other. Under an applied voltage, the capillary nozzle sprays droplets while the pin generates ion wind via corona discharge. During spraying process, droplets’ charge is significantly reduced by interacting with counter ions and propelled away from the electrodes by the momentum of ion winds accumulated from corona discharge. Thus, the present technique can yield promising applications in effective respiratory delivery of nanomedicine.