Aerosol flow through a long micro-capillary: collimated aerosol beam

A micro-capillary system capable of generating a focused collimated aerosol beam (CAB) is demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally. The approach is based on a manifestation of the Saffman force where high velocity (similar to 100 m/s) aerosol particles, flowing through a micro-capillary (d similar to 100 mu m and l similar to 1 cm), migrate perpendicular to the centerline of the capillary. Upon exiting the micro-capillary system, the particles maintain momentum, and when the aerosol is comprised of solid-in-liquid dispersions such as Ag nanoparticle ink, the CAB approach enables printing of advanced materials features with linewidth <= 10 mu m.