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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
09:16
High-resolution Patterning Using Two Modes of Electrohydrodynamic Jet: Drop on Demand and Near-field Electrospinning
Published on: July 10, 2018
Singularity during the onset of an electrohydrodynamic spout
1The James Franck Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|September 16, 2000
Summary
Applying strong electrical fields to liquids creates a fluid spout. High-speed imaging reveals this electrohydrodynamical phenomenon has a critical point, with spout curvature and height scaling with time.
Area of Science:
- Fluid dynamics
- Electrohydrodynamics
- Surface physics
Background:
- Conducting liquids exhibit complex surface behavior under external forces.
- Electrical fields can induce significant deformations and instabilities in liquid surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of spout formation in conducting liquids subjected to electrical fields.
- To identify and characterize the critical phenomena associated with electrohydrodynamical instabilities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-speed photography to capture the transient development of the fluid spout.
- Analyzed the geometry (curvature and height) of the spout over time.
- Performed dimensional analysis to identify scaling relationships.
Main Results:
- Observed the formation of a fluid spout and subsequent jet from a conducting liquid surface under an applied electrical field.
- Demonstrated that spout curvature and height scale with a critical time parameter.
- Indicated the presence of a critical point governing the instability dynamics.
Conclusions:
- The electrohydrodynamical spout formation is a critical phenomenon.
- The dynamics of spout development can be characterized by universal scaling laws related to a critical time.
- This study provides insights into the fundamental physics of electrically driven fluid instabilities.
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