Patent ID: 7629030

Claim:
A method for electrospraying/electrospinning a fluent material, which comprises the steps of: (a) providing an electrohydrodynamic spraying/spinning apparatus comprising: (i) a manifold containing a common source of pressurized liquid material; (ii) an array of 2 or more spraying tips, each said tip being fed from said manifold containing said common source of pressurized liquid material to create a liquid flow path; (iii) an individual flow impedance device disposed within each said tip's individual liquid flow path from the pressurized liquid material source into each of said spraying tips, said individual flow impedance device comprising one or more of (i) an area of a common replaceable porous sheet or (ii) one or more small orifices in a common replaceable liquid impermeable sheet; and (iv) a high voltage source adapted to create a high voltage potential applied between the tip array and the deposition surface; (b) charging said manifold with a common source of pressurized liquid material within a manifold; (e) placing a deposition surface in proximity to said electrohydrodynamic spraying/spinning apparatus; and (f) electrospraying/electrospinning said liquid material with said electrohydrodynamic spraying/spinning apparatus for forming nanofibers on a deposition surface.