UC Berkeley

Fission of micron-size charged droplets has been observed using optical methods, but little is known about fission dynamics and breakup of smaller nanosize droplets that are important in a variety of natural and industrial processes. Here, spontaneous fission of individual aqueous nanodrops formed by electrospray is investigated using charge detection mass spectrometry. Fission processes ranging from formation of just two progeny droplets in 2 ms to production of dozens of progeny droplets over 100+ ms are observed for nanodrops that are charged above the Rayleigh limit. These results indicate that Rayleigh fission is a continuum of processes that produce progeny droplets that vary widely in charge, mass, and number.