Activation of an Electrospray Emitter – Cone Jet Mode
In this video we see a 300 micron capillary that contains a doped polar solvent. There is a flat plate (collector) right on top of the capillary, out of the field of view of the video. The two terminals of a high voltage power supply are connected to the collector and to the emitter. The power supply is turned on, biasing a certain voltage that makes the liquid meniscus snap into a conic shape, commonly known as Taylor cone. Charged particles are emitted from the apex of the cone due to the high surface electric field. In the cone jet mode, the charged particles are droplets.