Numerical simulation of electrohydrodynamic jet and printing micro-structures on flexible substrate

Abstract

This paper aims to present the simulation work and obtain optimized parameters for the development of drop-on-demand electrohydrodynamic jet (DoD E-Jet) to print control and stable micro-structures on a flexible insulating substrate. In this work, the novel comparison of three types of combination needle structures was developed based on the multiphase flow (liquid–air) technique, in order to achieve optimal printing conditions for a flexible PET substrate. According to simulation results, steel-quartz needle combination provides very unique compensations in the controllability and stability of E-Jet. Printing on a flexible substrate was challenging, but parameters used in simulation validate the possibilities for DoD E-Jet printing method. Optimize working parameters were achieved by the numerical simulation executed to generate developed and stable E-Jet morphology. In addition, various stable and uniform microscale droplets and structures were directly printed on a flexible polymer substrate with the help of collective impact of electrical force, viscous force, and internal pressure force throughout DoD E-Jet printing process. The results of numerical simulation and experimental work exhibited an excellent and promising E-Jet printing tool for flexible electronic systems.