CHAPTER 2: From Inkjet Printed Droplets to Patterned Surfaces

In the vast majority of applications, inkjet printing is used as a means to selectively pattern a surface with a multitude of micron-sized droplets; with such an action typically performed so that material is transferred from the droplet to the surface in the desired pattern. Applications for this are numerous, from traditional graphical applications through to printed electronics and tissue engineering. For any of these applications, the success in how the desired pattern is accurately reproduced will come down to how the many individual droplets interact with the surface, neighbouring droplets and the environment around them. This chapter will review the various physical processes that are encountered during the deposition of a droplet on a substrate, as well as the subsequent change of phase required to go from a liquid droplet to a solid deposit.