Microdroplets of Liquid Part I: Glass Fiber Brush

Extract

It is very important to be able to deliver tiny droplets of liquid onto any surface. There are two general methods for this. One, a glass fiber brush seaied into a capillary; and, the other, a polyethylene micrapipette. Both are capable of delivering droplets as small as 100 μm in diameter. Description of the glass fiber brush follows. Part II, later in this publication, will describe the polyethylene micropipette.

We have borrowed this clever idea from Fred Schneider of IBM (private communication). A bundle of 20 to 30 glass fibers, 5 to 8 mm long and about 20 μm in diameter, is sealed with a microflame into one end of a glass capillary. A melting point capillary 1 to 2 mm in diameter and open at both ends is convenient (Fig. 1), To use for small drop deposition, the capillary is partly filled (2 to 3 cm. long column of the desired liquid} so that the sealed-in end of the glass fiber bundle is fully immersed.