Taylor cone

As a Taylor cone (also known as the Taylor cone ) refers to the conical deformation of a liquid surface which is exposed to an electric field. The deformation resulting from a force balance between the gravity, surface tension, the internal hydrostatic pressure of the outer gas pressure and electric power, which results from the applied electric field. Geoffrey Ingram Taylor described it as the first scientist to the cone geometry using a static model and came to the conclusion that the half- angle is in force equilibrium 49.3 ° (Lit.: Taylor, 1964).

If a certain critical field strength is exceeded, the Taylor cone becomes unstable and forms at the apex a thin liquid thread (so-called Jet), which decomposes immediately after the emission into a spray of fine, high unipolar charged droplets ( electrospray). This method is often used in practice to produce monodisperse aerosols ( gas-borne droplets with a narrow size distribution ), or ions.