JP2014046226A - Chemical process using an ink jet method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide such a novel process in a technique relating to an ink jet for allowing a liquid droplet having impacted on an object to exhibit a target function without deteriorating the fluidity or discharge of an in-nozzle supply liquid and without depending upon an object and any necessity for performing a preliminary treatment upon the object.SOLUTION: A chemical process using an ink jet method comprises: a discharge step of discharging a first liquid droplet containing a first liquid from a nozzle by an ink jet method; a liquid film passing step of passing the first liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle, through a liquid film containing a second liquid, to change the first liquid droplet into a second liquid droplet containing the first liquid and the second liquid; and a modification step of modifying the second liquid droplet with respect to the first liquid and the second liquid at the liquid film passing time or at the flight time of the second liquid droplet after having passed through the liquid film.

Description

  The present invention relates to a chemical process using an inkjet method.

  The inkjet method ejects uniform and minute droplets of a size of several tens of microns from a nozzle at a frequency of several thousand per second with good reproducibility, and places the droplets at a specified position on an object to be landed. It was developed in the 1980s as a printing technique that can be arranged on demand and on demand, and is still widely used today. Since the inkjet method is already established in the technical field, it is not limited to printing, but it is possible to produce a substrate circuit that does not use etching, a microlens, a micromanipulator for producing a specified array of DNA, and a three-dimensional CAD. It has been applied to various fields, such as the production of three-dimensional structures designed in, and the construction of artificial tissues by the regular arrangement of cells (biofabrication).

  As such a technique, for example, in Patent Document 1, the individuality of a masking pattern of a substrate circuit is controlled by exposing a droplet discharged from an inkjet to an electromagnetic wave in an operation zone until the droplet is landed on an object. A method is disclosed.

Special table 2003-506886

"Inkjet printing system for textile printing" KONICA MINOLTA TECHNOLOGY REPORT VOL.7 (2010), P138-142

  In the ink jet method, a liquid supplied by capillary force through a micro flow channel having a width of several tens of microns from a liquid reservoir to a nozzle outlet is ejected at high speed (about 10 m / s) by a micro hammer such as a piezo element, Land at the specified position of the object. The landed droplets are solidified or gelled by evaporating the solvent component as they are, or solidified or gelled by interaction (adhesion, reaction, bonding, mixing, etc.) with the material component of the object. At this time, the composition of the liquid supplied from the nozzle is limited in advance so as not to be difficult to discharge due to component precipitation or increase in viscosity due to evaporation at the nozzle outlet in addition to flow resistance in the flow path. That is, the supplied liquid must have a low viscosity.

  In general, textile printing inks used for printing on fabrics have high viscosity because they do not soak into fabrics, and cannot be ejected from nozzles by inkjet as they are. On the other hand, if the ink for textile printing has a low viscosity, when printing on a fabric, there is a problem that after the droplets are landed, the ink penetrates into the fibers of the fabric before drying and diffuses. For this problem, for example, an inkjet printing system for textile printing (printing on a fabric) disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 is known. Specifically, in the inkjet printing system for textile printing, a functional material component is applied in advance to a fabric to be printed so that the landed ink droplets soak and do not spread. However, such a technique requires a pretreatment step in which a functional material component is previously applied to the fabric in order to prevent ink droplets from penetrating, and there is a problem in terms of manufacturing efficiency and manufacturing cost.

  In addition, with the recent increase in various demands for inkjet printers, new ink developments such as UV curable inks that are characterized by the diversity of printing base materials and quick-drying are being actively carried out. From such a background, an ink-jet ink material that does not soak into the fabric without the application of the functional material component is removed in order to eliminate the pretreatment step of previously applying the functional material component to the fabric in order to prevent the ink droplet from penetrating. Is being actively developed. If such an ink material is developed, the pretreatment step is not necessary because ink droplets before being ejected already have the property of not soaking into the fabric. However, satisfactory ink materials for solving such problems are still under development.

  In this way, when a means for solving the problem before the supplied ink droplets fly, such as using a high-viscosity liquid that does not soak into the object, is used, the nozzles are clogged. Another issue arises. On the other hand, nozzles can be prevented from being clogged by means for imparting desired properties to ink droplets by reacting with other liquids after landing on the object, but the liquid soaks into the object. Another challenge arises. That is, in the means for imparting the desired characteristics to the ink droplets before the supplied ink droplets fly or after landing on the object, if one problem is to be solved, another problem arises. In any case, a problem arises.

  Therefore, in the ink jet technology, the target is a droplet that has landed on an object without impairing the fluidity and dischargeability of the supply liquid in the nozzle and without depending on the object or pre-processing the object. There is a need for a new process that can perform these functions.

  As a result of repeated research, the present inventor has made it possible to mix the liquid droplets with other liquids before the liquid droplets discharged from the nozzles land on the object, that is, to denature the liquid droplets. The present inventors have found that the above-described problem can be solved by exerting a target function when a droplet lands on a specified position of an object.

  That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, a discharge step of discharging a first droplet containing a first liquid from a nozzle by an ink jet method, and passing the first droplet discharged from the nozzle through a liquid film containing a second liquid Let the liquid film passing step to be a second droplet containing the first liquid and the second liquid, and when the second droplet fly after passing through the liquid film, It is a chemical process using an inkjet method having a denaturing step for denaturing the second droplet with respect to the first liquid and the second liquid.

  In one embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, in the liquid film passage step, the first droplet discharged from the nozzle is converted into a liquid film containing a second liquid containing one kind or two or more kinds of particles. A second droplet containing the first liquid and the second liquid containing one or more kinds of particles is passed through.

  In another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, the modification is caused by a chemical reaction between the first liquid and the second liquid.

  In yet another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, the first liquid contains a polymerization reaction initiator, and the second liquid contains a monomer that is a raw material for the polymerization reaction. The chemical reaction is a polymerization reaction.

  In another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, the first liquid and the second liquid are the same kind of liquid.

  In still another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, the concentration of the second liquid is lower than the concentration of the first liquid.

  In yet another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, in the ejection step, the first liquid and the second liquid in the second liquid droplet are changed by changing a distance between the liquid film and the nozzle. Change the mixing ratio.

  In yet another embodiment of the chemical process according to the present invention, in the ejection step, the size of the second droplet that has passed through the liquid film is changed by changing a distance between the liquid film and the nozzle. The size of the first droplet ejected from the nozzle is changed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a field of interaction with other liquids such as chemical reaction, mixing, and dispersion of microdroplets. Furthermore, the liquid droplets that have landed on the object can perform the intended function without impairing the fluidity and dischargeability of the supply liquid in the nozzle, and without depending on the object or needing to perform pretreatment on the object. New chemical processes can be provided. More specifically, for example, in the present invention, it is mixed with a liquid film liquid (second component) during the flight of the inkjet droplet (first component), and denatured by causing a chemical reaction or the like to proceed during the flight, The target function can be exhibited when the liquid droplets land on a specified position of the object. In such a process, the second component previously applied to the surface of the object by pretreatment and the first component of the droplets discharged from the nozzle are chemically reacted for the first time on the surface of the object. It is a novel process with operational effects that cannot be achieved.

It is the schematic which shows an inkjet stripping apparatus. It is the schematic which shows the liquid film holding | maintenance part, print head, and object surface of an inkjet stripping apparatus. It is a perspective view of a liquid film holding | maintenance part. It is a top view (left figure) and sectional drawing (right figure) of a liquid film holding | maintenance part. It is a graph which shows the change of ratio with respect to the case where there is no liquid film of the total adhesion area of the droplet with respect to the distance from a nozzle to a liquid film. It is a graph which shows the change of the number of the particles taken in from the liquid film with respect to the total adhesion area of a droplet.

  An embodiment of a chemical process using the ink jet method according to the present invention will be described. The chemical process using the ink jet method according to the present embodiment includes a discharge step of discharging the first liquid droplet including the first liquid from the nozzle by the ink jet method, and the second liquid including the first liquid droplet discharged from the nozzle. A liquid film passing step for passing through the liquid film to form a second liquid droplet containing the first liquid and the second liquid; and when the second liquid droplet passes through the liquid film, And a denaturing step for denaturing the two droplets with respect to the first liquid and the second liquid.

  Since the chemical process according to the present embodiment uses an ink jet method, a minute reaction field between the first droplet and the second droplet can be provided. Furthermore, in the chemical process according to the present embodiment, the first droplet discharged from the nozzle is denatured by mixing with the second droplet before landing on the object, that is, during the flight of the first droplet. . For this reason, in the flow path of a nozzle, it can be set as the liquid with low viscosity which prevents clogging of a nozzle, and also the liquid which does not contain a particle | grain. Further, before landing on the object, the viscosity can be increased by denaturation so that the liquid does not penetrate when it hits the object.

  In the present invention, the first droplet is denatured from its original properties during flight, and the “denaturation” indicates that the liquid changes quantitatively and / or qualitatively or its form changes. For example, when the first liquid of the first droplet is mixed with the second liquid, the concentration, viscosity, density, dielectric constant, magnetic permeability, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, electrical resistance, thermal conductivity, specific heat, boiling point, melting point And changes in thermal, electrical, mechanical and chemical properties such as composition and reactivity. Further, the first liquid and the second liquid are the same type of liquid, and the first liquid of the first liquid droplet is mixed with the second liquid and passes through the liquid film, thereby increasing the size of the first liquid droplet. Can also be reduced. Furthermore, the first liquid and the second liquid may be the same type of liquid, and the concentration of the second liquid may be lower than the concentration of the first liquid, so that the liquid discharged from the nozzle is thinned to reduce the viscosity and be dispersed. it can. As will be described later, these can be achieved by changing the composition and concentration of the first liquid and the second liquid, including particles in the second liquid, or changing the distance between the nozzle and the liquid film. This is achieved by adjusting the second droplet according to the purpose.

  In the chemical process according to the present embodiment, in the liquid film passage step, the first droplet discharged from the nozzle is passed through the liquid film containing the second liquid containing one kind or two or more kinds of particles. It is good also as a 2nd droplet containing the 1st liquid and the 2nd liquid containing 1 type, or 2 or more types of particle | grains.

  When it is desired to land a droplet containing particles on the object, if the droplet is contained in the droplet in the nozzle, the physical properties of the particle itself or due to the reaction between the particle and the droplet The change causes nozzle clogging. On the other hand, according to the above configuration, when the droplet in the nozzle does not contain particles, it is ejected from the nozzle as it is, and the particles contained in the liquid film are captured during the flight, so that the object is landed. Is in a state containing the target particles, or the droplets react with the particles to have the target physical properties. Here, the “particle” is not particularly limited, and may be solid, liquid, or gas. Specifically, in the use related to biofabrication, it is an animal cell, and when the second droplet is a microcapsule, it may be a central object. In addition, various chemical substances that react with the first liquid may be used in order to increase the viscosity when landing on the object. In this case, for example, the first liquid contains an initiator for the polymerization reaction, and the second liquid contains a monomer that is a raw material for the polymerization reaction. You may make it progress during flight.

  In the chemical process according to the present embodiment, the distance between the liquid film and the nozzle may be changed in the ejection step. With such a configuration, the mixing ratio of the first liquid and the second liquid in the second droplet can be changed according to the purpose. In addition, by changing the distance between the liquid film and the nozzle in the discharging step, the size of the second liquid droplet that has passed through the liquid film is changed from the nozzle by making the first liquid and the second liquid the same type of liquid. By changing from the size of the ejected first droplet, the size of the first droplet can be increased or conversely reduced. Specifically, when the distance between the liquid film and the nozzle is short, the speed of the first droplet flying to the liquid film increases, resulting in a huge second droplet after passing through the liquid film. On the other hand, if the distance between the liquid film and the nozzle is long, the speed of the first droplet flying to the liquid film becomes small, and the second droplet after passing through the liquid film becomes small.

  Specifically, when the first droplet discharged from the nozzle is to be dispersed at a reduced concentration on the target, the first liquid and the second liquid are the same type of liquid, and the concentration of the second liquid is the same as that of the first liquid. By making it lower than the concentration, when the first droplet discharged from the nozzle passes through the liquid film, the concentration is reduced by mixing with the second liquid and can be dispersed after passing through the liquid film.

  Further, when it is desired to increase the size of the first droplet ejected from the nozzle, the first liquid and the second liquid are made of the same kind of liquid, and the distance between the nozzle and the liquid film is shortened to pass through the liquid film. When the speed of the first droplet increases and the momentum increases, the first droplet can take more second liquid in the liquid film and pass through. For this reason, the magnitude | size of a 1st droplet becomes larger than the time of discharge. Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the size of the first droplet discharged from the nozzle, the first liquid and the second liquid are the same kind of liquid, and the distance between the nozzle and the liquid film is increased to pass through the liquid film. The speed of the first droplet at the time is reduced, and when the momentum is lost, the first droplet is partially taken away by the second liquid of the liquid film and passes. For this reason, the size of the first droplet is smaller than that during ejection.

  Next, an apparatus for performing the chemical process of the present invention will be described. Although the chemical process using the inkjet method of the present invention is not particularly limited, it can be performed by, for example, an inkjet stripping apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the liquid film holding unit 30, the print head 11, and the target surface 40 of the inkjet stripping apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the ink jet stripping apparatus 1 has an ink jet discharge apparatus 10 and a liquid film forming apparatus 20 as main components. The target surface 40 is a plain weave cloth made of cotton.

  The inkjet discharge apparatus 10 is normally used in a printing apparatus, and uses a method called a thermal method. The ink jet ejection device 10 is a device that ejects ink (droplets) by generating bubbles by rectangular pulse heating of an ink jet heater in a fine tube filled with ink.

The inkjet discharge apparatus 10 includes a print head 11 that can move in two axial directions (XY directions), a nozzle 12 provided in the print head 11, and an XY axis automatic fine movement device 14 that controls the movement of the print head 11. It is said. The print head 11 is provided with an ink tank 13. The diameter of the nozzle 12 can be set to 60 μm, for example. The print head 11 provided with the nozzles 12 is attached to an XY-axis automatic fine movement device 14, and the ejection position is controlled thereby.
The ink tank 13 is filled with the first liquid L1, and the first liquid droplet D1 containing the first liquid L1 is ejected from the nozzle 12.

  The nozzle 12 includes a nozzle moving mechanism 17 for changing the distance d1 between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F. As shown in FIG. 2, the ink jet stripping apparatus 1 includes an ultraviolet irradiation device 18 for irradiating a space between the liquid film holding unit 30 and the target surface 40 with ultraviolet rays.

  Further, the inkjet discharge apparatus 10 is provided with a function generator 15 for generating a rectangular pulse and a high-speed power amplifier 16 for amplifying the rectangular pulse.

  Next, the liquid film forming apparatus 20 will be described. The liquid film forming apparatus 20 has a circulation means for circulating the second liquid L2 into the liquid film forming apparatus 20. The liquid film forming apparatus 20 sucks up the second liquid L2 from the liquid film holding unit 30 for forming the liquid film, the tank 22 for storing the second liquid L2, the tank 22, and the flow rate of the second liquid L2. The main components are a pump 23a (inflow side), 23b (outflow side), a valve 24a (inflow side), 24b (outflow side) for adjusting and a tube 25 for circulating the second liquid L2. .

  The liquid film holding part 30 is integrally provided with an inflow pipe part 31 and a discharge pipe part 32 for inflowing and discharging the second liquid L2, and the liquid film F is interposed between the inflow pipe part 31 and the discharge pipe part 32. It is the structure which forms. The inflow pipe portion 31 and the tank 22 are connected by a tube 25, and the tube 25 is provided with a valve 24a and a pump 23a. The discharge pipe section 32 and the tank 22 are connected by a tube 25, and the tube 25 is provided with a valve 24b and a pump 23b.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the liquid film holding unit 30, and FIG. 4 shows a plan view (left view) and a cross-sectional view (right view) of the liquid film holding unit 30.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the liquid film holding unit 30 has a configuration in which an opening 33 is formed in a tube having a rectangular cross section having one surface 30 a and another surface 30 b. The cross section of the liquid film holding part 30 has a flat shape and is formed so that the flow path height H is sufficiently smaller than the flow path width W. The opening 33 is circular and is formed so as to penetrate the one surface 30 a and the other surface 30 b of the liquid film holding unit 30. Further, the plate thickness T of the liquid film holding unit 30 is 0.1 mm.
The liquid film holding unit 30 is configured to form the liquid film F in the opening 33 by causing the second liquid L2 to flow through a sufficiently thin flat tube.

  Each dimension value of the liquid film holding | maintenance part 30 is defined so that a liquid film thickness may become optimal. When the liquid film thickness is thick, the liquid droplets ejected from the inkjet ejection device 10 cannot penetrate the liquid film F. When the liquid film F is thin, it is considered that the liquid film is easily broken by evaporation from the surface of the liquid film.

  Next, each dimension value of the liquid film holding | maintenance part 30 was determined so that the liquid film F which has thickness as mentioned above could be formed. As for the diameter D of the opening 33, the liquid film F becomes thinner from the center if it is too large, the liquid film F tends to break in a short time, and if it is too small, the liquid film F tends not to be sufficiently thin. Select and set the range. Further, the flow path height H and the flow path width W may be dimensions that allow the liquid film F to be formed stably.

  Next, an example of the chemical process of the present invention performed using the ink jet stripping apparatus 1 will be described. Here, as an example, a chemical process for reacting a small amount of an initiator with a monomer will be described.

  The first liquid L1 contains the first substance S1. The first substance S1 is an initiator that is a compound added to start a polymerization reaction for synthesizing a polymer. Further, the second liquid L2 contains the second substance S2. The second substance S2 is a monomer that is a raw material for the polymerization reaction.

  First, the pump 23a of the liquid film forming apparatus 20 sucks up the second liquid L2 containing the second substance S2 from the tank 22 through the tube 25. The second liquid L2 sucked up flows into the liquid film holding unit 30 through the valve 24a. When the second liquid L <b> 2 flows into the liquid film holding unit 30, a liquid film F is formed in the opening 33. Moreover, since the liquid film forming apparatus 20 is a circulation system, the second liquid L2 is in a fluid state.

  Further, the outflow amount of the second liquid L2 can be controlled by the pump 23b and the valve 24b. As described above, the flow amount of the second liquid L2 can be accurately controlled by being configured so that the inflow amount and the outflow amount can be independently controlled.

  Next, when the formation of the liquid film F can be confirmed, as a discharge process, the first droplet D1 composed of the first liquid L1 containing the first substance S1 is discharged from the nozzle 12 of the ink jet discharge apparatus 10 by the ink jet method. Since the first liquid L1 containing the first substance S1 is an initiator having a low viscosity, the fluidity and dischargeability in the nozzle 12 are not impaired. The first droplet D1 is discharged toward the liquid film F.

  Next, as the liquid film passing step, when the first droplet D1 passes through the liquid film F, a part of the liquid film F is taken in to become the second droplet D2 containing the second liquid L2. . Next, as a reaction step, a polymerization reaction is started in the second droplet D2 during the flight of the second droplet D2. That is, the polymerization reaction of the initiator that is the first substance S1 and the monomer that is the second substance S2 is started. Then, the reaction proceeds during the flight of the second droplet D2, and the viscosity of the liquid constituting the second droplet D2 in the flying state is increased by 10 to 100 times or more compared to the first droplet D1. To do. Then, the second droplet D2 adheres to the target surface 40. Meanwhile, the second droplet D2 can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays by the ultraviolet irradiation device 18 to promote the polymerization reaction.

  Further, by using the nozzle moving mechanism 17 to change the distance d1 between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F (and automatically the distance d2 between the liquid film F and the target surface 40), the second droplet D2 is obtained. The ratio of the first liquid L1 (first substance S1) to the second liquid L2 (second substance S2), that is, the mixing ratio of the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 can be changed. That is, the degree of interaction between the first droplet D1 and the liquid film F can be changed. Specifically, the second liquid L2 constituting the liquid film F is taken into the first droplet D1 as the distance d1 between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F is smaller.

  Depending on the distance d1 between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F, the amount of the second liquid L2 constituting the liquid film F taken into the first droplet D1 varies. Therefore, here, the details of the effect of the change will be described based on experimental results.

  In this experiment, a liquid film (sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS): distilled water: glycerin = 1: 59: 40) was placed at a position 0 to 70 mm in front of an inkjet nozzle having an opening diameter of 60 μm, and droplets (distilled water, Alternatively, 10 drops of 60, 70, 75 wt% glycerin aqueous solution) were ejected to penetrate the liquid film, and the penetrated liquid droplets were attached to a slide glass coated with silicon oil 3 mm away from the liquid film.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing a change in the ratio of the total adhesion area of the second droplet D2 to the distance d1 between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F with respect to the case without the liquid film. In the figure, single-stage pulse indicates normal discharge force conditions, and two-stage pulse indicates discharge conditions enhanced than usual.

  As shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that as the distance d1 increases, the ratio of the adhesion area decreases. This is presumably because the droplet velocity decreases due to air resistance after discharge, and the liquid penetrating force decreases. At this time, when solid fine particles (particle size 30 μm) were suspended in the liquid film, a large number of fine particles were taken into the attached droplets, that is, the liquid film component was taken into the droplets.

  FIG. 6 shows the number of fine particles contained in the attached droplet with respect to the total adhesion area of the droplet, and it can be seen that the increase in the number of fine particles tends to be slower as the adhesion area increases. This indicates that the larger the speed at which the droplet penetrates the liquid film, the smaller the amount of liquid taken from the liquid film.

  From this, by changing the distance from the nozzle to the liquid film, the degree of interaction between the liquid droplet and the liquid film can be changed, thus changing the relative proportion of liquid film components taken into the liquid droplet It is considered possible to attach a droplet in which a liquid film and droplet components are mixed to an object.

  According to the above-described embodiment, a function that cannot be imparted by the conventional ink jet method can be imparted to the flying droplet by causing a chemical reaction of the substance during the flight of the second droplet D2. That is, a high-viscosity substance that cannot be ejected by the conventional ink jet method can be ejected as droplets by a polymerization reaction between the initiator that is the first substance S1 and the monomer that is the second substance S2. For this reason, when it uses in a printing field | area, it does not penetrate | infiltrate a target object, but it can suppress the blur of printing favorably.

  In addition, the first material S1 and the second material S2 are generated in the second droplet D2 generated by ejecting the first droplet D1 at high speed and high frequency and passing through the liquid film F using the inkjet method. By chemically reacting at least one of these, a fine chemical reaction field can be formed more easily.

  In addition, a small amount of functional particles (microcapsules) having a uniform size can be produced in large quantities. Further, since the droplets are ejected using the ink jet method, the functional particles can be regularly arranged. In addition, since the second liquid L2 is not affected by heat from the ink jet, a liquid that is easily affected by heat can be used as the second liquid L2.

  In the polymerization reaction, the first substance S1 is used as an initiator, the second substance S2 is used as a monomer, and a polymer is generated inside the second droplet D2. However, the first substance S1 is used as a monomer, It is also possible to use two substances S2 as an initiator. Moreover, a monomer can also be included in both the 1st liquid L1 and the 2nd liquid L2.

  In the reaction for generating the low molecular weight compound, either the first substance S1 or the second substance S2 is used as a reaction substrate, and the other is used as a catalyst, so that the reaction substrate is reacted inside the second droplet D2. To obtain a product. Alternatively, a reaction substrate may be employed for the first substance S1 and the second substance S2, and the first substance S1 and the second substance S2 may be chemically reacted to obtain a product.

  Further, in the reaction for generating the ionic bond, a salt is generated inside the second droplet D2 by using one of the first substance S1 and the second substance S2 as a cation and the other as an anion. be able to.

  Further, in the reaction that causes the coordination bond, the complex is formed inside the second droplet D2 by using either one of the first substance S1 and the second substance S2 as a ligand and the other as a metal ion. Can be generated.

  As another example of use of the chemical process of the present invention performed using the ink jet stripping apparatus 1, use in the field of artificial tissue construction (biofabrication) can be mentioned. When the chemical process of the present invention is used in the field of biofabrication, the first liquid droplet D1 of the first liquid L1 that does not include cells that cause clogging is ejected from the nozzle 12, and the second liquid L2 that includes cells is discharged. The liquid film F is passed through. As a result, the first droplet D1 takes in cells during flight and becomes the second droplet D2. After the second droplet D2 has landed on the object, two kinds of reaction components for gelation so as not to flow are applied to the first liquid L1 and the object of the first droplet D1 or the liquid film F, respectively. By including in the second liquid L2 and the object, a solution containing cells can be regularly arranged on the object.

  Furthermore, as another example of use of the chemical process of the present invention performed using the ink jet stripping apparatus 1, use of the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 as the same kind of liquid can be mentioned. These are effective when the first droplet D1 discharged from the nozzle 12 is desired to be dispersed at a reduced concentration, when the size is desired to be increased or decreased, or when the droplet is desired to contain a certain particle.

  Specifically, when the first liquid droplet D1 discharged from the nozzle 12 is to be dispersed at a reduced concentration on the target, the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 are the same type of liquid, and the concentration of the second liquid L2 Is lower than the concentration of the first liquid L1, and when the first droplet D1 ejected from the nozzle 12 passes through the liquid film F, the concentration is reduced by mixing with the second liquid L2. Disperse after passing.

  Further, when it is desired to increase the size of the first droplet D1 discharged from the nozzle 12, the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 are made of the same type of liquid, and the distance between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F is shortened. The speed of the first droplet D1 when passing through the liquid film F increases, and the momentum increases, so that the first droplet D1 can take more second liquid L2 of the liquid film F and pass through. For this reason, the magnitude | size of the 1st droplet D1 becomes larger than the time of discharge. Conversely, when it is desired to reduce the size of the first droplet D1 discharged from the nozzle 12, the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 are made of the same type of liquid, and the distance between the nozzle 12 and the liquid film F is increased. Thus, the speed of the first droplet D1 when passing through the liquid film F is reduced, and the first droplet D1 is partially taken away by the second liquid L2 of the liquid film F by losing momentum. For this reason, the size of the first droplet D1 is smaller than that during ejection.

  Further, when the first droplet D1 discharged from the nozzle 12 is desired to be a droplet containing some particles, the first liquid L1 and the second liquid L2 are the same type of liquid, and the second liquid that forms the liquid film F is used. Predetermined particles are included in D2. Thereby, when passing through the liquid film F, the first droplet takes the particles and includes them in the droplets, so that the droplets can include the predetermined particles during the flight.

  As described above, various application examples have been described. However, the chemical process of the present invention performed using the ink jet stripping apparatus 1 is not limited to printing, but includes the production of a substrate circuit that does not use etching, a microlens, and a prescribed arrangement. It can be used in various fields such as micromanipulators for producing DNA, production of three-dimensional structures designed by three-dimensional CAD, and construction of artificial tissues by regular cell arrangement (biofabrication). In such various fields, it is possible to provide a field of interaction with other liquids such as chemical reaction, mixing, and dispersion of microdroplets. Furthermore, the liquid droplets that have landed on the object can perform the intended function without impairing the fluidity and dischargeability of the supply liquid in the nozzle, and without depending on the object or needing to perform pretreatment on the object. New chemical processes can be provided.

D1 First droplet D2 Second droplet F Liquid film L1 First liquid L2 Second liquid S1 First substance (particle)
S2 Second substance (particles)
12 nozzles

Claims (8)

A discharge step of discharging the first liquid droplet containing the first liquid from the nozzle by an inkjet method;
A liquid film passing step in which the first droplet discharged from the nozzle is passed through a liquid film containing a second liquid to form a second droplet containing the first liquid and the second liquid;
A denaturing step of denaturing the second droplet with respect to the first liquid and the second liquid at the time of passing through the liquid film, or at the time of flight of the second droplet after passing through the liquid film;
A chemical process using an ink jet method.   In the liquid film passing step, the first liquid discharged from the nozzle is passed through a liquid film containing a second liquid containing one or more kinds of particles, and the first liquid and the first kind The chemical process according to claim 1, wherein the second liquid droplet includes the second liquid containing two or more kinds of particles.   The chemical process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the denaturation is caused by a chemical reaction between the first liquid and the second liquid. The first liquid contains an initiator for the polymerization reaction, and the second liquid contains a monomer that is a raw material for the polymerization reaction,
The chemical process according to claim 3, wherein the chemical reaction is a polymerization reaction.   The chemical process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are the same kind of liquid.   The chemical process according to claim 5, wherein the concentration of the second liquid is lower than the concentration of the first liquid.   5. The mixing ratio of the first liquid and the second liquid in the second droplet is changed by changing a distance between the liquid film and the nozzle in the discharging step. The described chemical process.   In the ejection step, by changing the distance between the liquid film and the nozzle, the size of the second droplet that has passed through the liquid film is changed from the size of the first droplet ejected from the nozzle. The chemical process according to claim 5 or 6 to be modified.