Physics of droplet generation in inkjet bio-printing with micrometer-sized nozzles

The printability regimes in inkjet bioprinting are the sets of printing conditions described using the , in which a stable . Previous experimental and simulation works of printability have mainly focused on millimeter-sized nozzles, while it is uncertain whether their conclusions can be applied to micrometer-sized nozzles. Because the capillary effect is significantly enhanced in the micrometer scale, the printability regimes in the micrometer scale are likely to differ greatly from that in the millimeter scale. In this study, the printability regimes in the micrometer scale are calibrated through three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations. Our works are expected to be critically helpful in design of inkjet bioprinting with micrometer-sized nozzles.