A new electrohydrodynamic printing method for patterns fabrication with low viscosity fluid of silicone oil

Silicone oil is a type of fluid with low viscosity, but it is not easy to form stable cone jet for electrohydrodynamic printing. In this paper, we proposed a new electrohydrodynamic printing method for patterns fabrication with this kind of low viscosity fluid. Dots array was first printed on the substrate at higher direct current voltage. Then by controlling the moving speed of the platform, the dots were connected into lines according to the fluidity of the silicone oil and its low surface tension. With the proposed method, the patterns with silicone oil can be successfully formed by electrohydrodynamic printing. In the experiment, the influence of main parameters including applied voltage, moving speed of substrate, distance from needle to substrate, and axial length of droplet on the quality of printed lines was studied. Finally, by optimizing the printing parameters, the silicone oil lines with width of 73 µm and low surface roughness were printed.