Atomization and Sprays, Vol.22, No.1, 23-35, 2012
INFLUENCE OF AIR-DRAFT ON FABRICATION OF POLYURETHANE THIN FILMS VIA ULTRASONIC ATOMIZATION
In this article we report the developments and improvements in our ultrasound-assisted spray deposition system for polymer thin films and potentially nano particle-based coatings, organic device printing. Specifically, we focus on the development of a homogenous microstructure and uniform thickness of elastomeric thermoplastic polyurethane films. All film specimens have been obtained between 4 and 16 mu m. We have devised and implemented a low-pressure concentric air-draft attachment with our existing setup to achieve this goal. We have schematically suggested a possible mechanism for the evolution of the spray during the deposition process. This mechanism is one where the spray core is dragged or pulled in the direction of the eight draft tubes. Varying the air pressure changes the width and shape of the spray. These visual observations have been schematically reported. Varying the liquid-to-air ratio between 25 and 150 mu L/min varied the droplet numbers (a few to several hundreds) and diameters (130 mu m to >650 mu m), indicating that coalescence can be controlled. Optical microscopy of our fully developed thin films (2, 6, and 10 layers) revealed a range of droplet diameters between 80 and 200 mu m. This indicated that the deposition system was precise and quantified a reduction in the time and effort involved in fabricating these films (relative to not using a draft for the same process).