Our Success Story

Our success story began with the development of novel 3D-printed injection devices, known as Gas-Dynamic Virtual Nozzles (GDVNs), using two-photon polymerization. These innovations have revolutionized sample delivery systems for several of the world’s most expensive XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) facilities, including SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Stanford, USA, and multiple other XFEL beamlines.

We have developed new types of microfluidic devices capable of producing liquid microjets and microdrops, which are critical for experiments at the world’s most powerful XFEL facilities. These devices are essential for imaging biomolecular structures, such as viruses and proteins, and studying their dynamic behaviors at atomic-length scales (0.1 nanometers) and ultrafast timescales (femtoseconds).

Before our innovations, biomolecules were typically delivered to X-ray beams via hand-fabricated GDVNs, which were labor-intensive and required highly specialized skills. Our research introduced 3D printing methods that optimized the design and performance of these devices, allowing us to rapidly iterate and test new designs. We also developed an advanced data acquisition and image processing pipeline to quantitatively analyze microjet and microdrop characteristics, which is now widely used to assess device performance.

Furthermore, we contributed to a numerical simulation pipeline for microjet dynamics, providing insights into instability mechanisms and enabling predictive modeling of jet behavior under different design geometries and operating conditions. Our GDVN designs have been utilized in numerous XFEL experiments, achieving some of the fastest (170 m/s) and smallest (0.5 micrometer) GDVN microjets ever recorded.

Additionally, Nanodrops LLC has provided advisory and consulting services to multiple San Francisco Bay Area companies, assisting with design, numerical simulation, and fabrication to advance their products.