This study reports the first MEMS multiplexed coaxial electrospray sources in the literature. Coaxial electrospraying is a microencapsulation technology based on electrohydrodynamic jetting of two immiscible liquids, which allows precise control with low size variation of the geometry of the core-shell particles it generates, which is of great importance in numerous biomedical and engineering applications, e.g., drug delivery and self-healing composites. By implementing monolithic planar arrays of miniaturized coaxial electrospray emitters that work uniformly in parallel, the throughput of the compound microdroplet source is greatly increased, making the microencapsulation technology compatible with low-cost commercial applications. Miniaturized core-shell particle generators with up to 25 coaxial electrospray emitters (25 emitters cm) were fabricated via stereolithography, which is an additive manufacturing process that can create complex microfluidic devices at a small fraction of the cost per device and fabrication time associated with silicon-based counterparts. The characterization of devices with the same emitter structure but different array sizes demonstrates uniform array operation. Moreover, the data demonstrate that the per-emitter current is approximately proportional to the square root of the flow rate of the driving liquid, and it is independent of the flow rate of the driven liquid, as predicted by the theory. The core/shell diameters and the size distribution of the generated compound microparticles can be modulated by controlling the flow rates fed to the emitters.

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of novel, low-cost, and modular miniaturized nanofiber electrospinning sources for the scalable production of non-woven aligned nanofiber mats with low diameter variation. The devices are monolithic arrays of electrospinning emitters made via stereolithography; the emitters are arranged so each element has an independent line of sight to a rotating collector surface. Linear and zigzag emitter packing were evaluated using a PEO solution with the aim of maximizing the throughput of nanofibers with the smallest diameter and narrowest distribution. Current versus flowrate characterization of the devices showed that for a given flowrate a zigzag array produces more current per emitter than a linear array of the same emitter pitch and array size. In addition, the data demonstrate that larger and denser arrays have a net gain in flow rate per unit of active length. Visual inspection of the devices suggests uniform operation in devices with as many as 17 emitters with 300 μm inner diameter and 1.5 mm emitter gap. Well-aligned nanofiber mats were collected on a rotating drum and characterized; the 17-emitter device produced the same narrow nanofiber distribution (∼81 nm average diameter, ∼17 nm standard deviation) for all tested flow rates, which is strikingly different to the performance shown by 1-emitter sources where the average fiber diameter significantly increased and the statistics notably widened when the flowrate increases. Therefore, the data demonstrate that massively multiplexing the emitters is a viable approach to greatly increase the throughput of non-woven aligned nanofiber mats without sacrificing the statistics of the nanofibers generated. The production of dry nanofibers by the 17-emitter array is estimated at 33.0 mg min (1.38 mg min per mm of active length), which compares favorably with the reported multiplexed electrospinning arrays with emitters distributed along a line.

Storage potential and eating quality of guava (Psidium guajava L.) fruit depend on its maturity. Segregation of guava according to maturity and firmness measured using non-destructive technologies would help the industry to designate ripe fruit to immediate market and less ripe fruit for distant market (e.g., exportation). This research was conducted to evaluate the potential of experimental resonant frequency (f e ) and elasticity index (EI) to estimate fruit firmness, which has been reported to be inversely correlated to its maturity. A maturity index (I m ) was calculated as the ratio of total soluble solids/titratable acidity (TSS/TA). It was proved that TSS, TA, and I m were significantly correlated (P < 0.05) to skin firmness (F s ), flesh firmness (F f ), stiffness (S), and analytical resonant frequency (ω n ), being S the attribute best fitted to I m (R 2 = 0.77). Since it was observed that f e and EI were sensitive to changes in fruit firmness, both of them were explored as alternatives to predict F s , F f , S, and ω n of guava fruit. In some cases, EI improved the models to predict guava firmness traits (e.g., F s vs f e had a coefficient of determination of R 2 = 0.58, whereas for F s vs EI, it was R 2 = 0.62). The best model occurred when plotting ω n vs f e (R 2 = 0.86), followed by S vs EI (R 2 = 0.84), making these promising features for the development of a new practical application using frequency response measurement as a non-destructive method to assess guava maturity.