Laser-induced jetting and controlled droplet formation

Abstract The article reports, in the general context of developing techniques to generate microjets, nanojets and even individual nanodroplets, a new method to obtain such formations by interaction of a single laser pulse at 532 nm with an individual/single mother droplet in pendant position in open air. The beam energy per pulse is varied between 0.25 and 1 mJ, the focus diameter is 90 μm, and the droplet’s volumes are either 3 μl or 3.5 μl. Droplet’s shape evolution and jet emission at impact with laser pulse was visualised with a high speed camera working at 10 kfps. Reproducible jets and/or separated microdroplets and nanodroplets are obtained which shows potential for applications in particular in jet printing. It is demonstrated that it becomes possible to play with the geometrical symmetry of both laser excitation and liquid in order to manage the number and the orientation of an induced microjet and consequently to actuate the orientation and the production of nanodroplets by light.