Electrohydrodynamics of charge separation in droplet-based ion sources with time-varying electrical and mechanical actuation.

Charge transport and separation in mechanically-driven, droplet-based ion sources are investigated using computational analysis and supporting experiments. A first-principles model of electrohydrodynamics (EHD) and charge migration is formulated and implemented using FLUENT CFD software for jet/droplet formation. For validation, classical experiments of electrospraying from a thin capillary are simulated, specifically, the transient EHD cone-jet formation of a fluid with finite electrical conductivity, and the Taylor cone formation in a perfectly electrically-conducting fluid. The model is also used to investigate the microscopic physics of droplet charging in mechanically-driven droplet-based ion sources, such as array of micromachined ultrasonic electrospray (AMUSE). Here, AMUSE is subject to DC and AC electric fields of varying amplitude and phase, with respect to a time-varying mechanical force driving the droplet formation. For the DC-charging case, a linear relationship is demonstrated between the charge carried by each droplet and an applied electric field magnitude, in agreement with previously reported experiments. For the AC-charging case, a judiciously-chosen phase-shift in the time-varying mechanical (driving ejection) and electrical (driving charge transport) signals allows for a significantly increased amount of charge, of desired polarity, to be pumped into a droplet upon ejection. Complementary experimental measurements of electrospray electrical current and charge-per-droplet, produced by the AMUSE ion source, are performed and support theoretical predictions for both DC- and AC-charging cases. The theoretical model and simulation tools provide a versatile and general analytical framework for fundamental investigations of coupled electrohydrodynamics and charge transport. The model also allows for the exploration of different configurations and operating modes to optimize charge separation in atmospheric pressure electrohydrodynamic ion sources under static and dynamic electrical and mechanical fields.