Electrostatic deposition of nanothin films on metal substrate

Thin solid film has been deposited by electrohydrodynamic spraying (electrospraying) onto a metal substrate. Electrospraying is a low-energy physical process in which tangential stress exerted by electric field on the surface of a liquid flowing form a capillary nozzle causes jet elongation, and the Coulomb repulsive forces disintegrate of this jet into fine droplets. By this method TiO2, ZnO, MgO, or Al2O3 particles of size from 20 to 100 nm electrosprayed from a colloidal suspension were deposited onto a stainless steel substrate. The advantage that electrospray has over other methods for thin solid film production is that the growth rate of the layer is relatively high, the process can be carried out in an ambient atmosphere, in air or other gas, and at low temperature, without the need for a complex reactor and vacuum systems.