Morphology and dynamics scaling of water sheet jets generated by microfluidic convergent nozzles

The morphological dynamics of water sheet jets generated by microfluidic convergent nozzles represent a critical area of research with significant implications for advancing controlled spray formation. This study employs anodically bonded Silicon wafer chips with etched converging nozzle geometries to investigate the effects of geometric parameters under varying flow conditions. High-speed shadowgraph imaging is utilized to assess the influence of nozzle thickness, outlet width, converging angle, and flow rate on the size and stability of water sheet jets. Experimental results demonstrate that sheet size is primarily governed by flow rate, while stability is strongly affected by nozzle design. Scaling correlations are developed to quantitatively describe water sheet dimensions and transitions between jet breakup, stable sheets, and unstable sheet spray breakup. These findings advance the understanding of water sheet jet dynamics and provide a robust framework for designing microfluidic systems optimized for planar and controlled spray formation. • Microfluidic nozzles were fabricated using photolithography and deep reactive ion etching. • Nozzle geometry effects on jet behavior were analyzed using high-speed shadowgraph imaging. • Flow rate mainly determines the water sheet size, while nozzle geometry affects its stability. • Scaling correlations were developed to describe the size and regime transitions of water sheet jets.