Despite over a quarter of a millennium of study,electrostatic
atomization continues to surprise. For instance,experiments
corroborate the theoretical prediction that a droplet charging "phase
transition", must exist,and that extravagantly high (>=4 Rydberg)
surface charge energy levels characterize the droplet creation process.
Moreover, droplet charging data support the notion that electron
crystallization is prevalent for sprays having droplet sizes larger than
about a micron.The mean number of charges on droplets in these
sprays equals the ratio of droplet diameter to the first Bohr radius. As
a consequence,droplet diameter is solely a function of fluid charge
density level.This provides the basis for the development of a new
class of electrostatic atomizers based on the direct injection of free
charge into the fluid being atomized.Charge injection atomizers are
capable of dispersing any fluid,at arbitrarily high flow rates, without
the need for auxiliary atomization means.The implications of this
atomization technology for achieving clean,efficient combustion, and
for enabling the commercial production of nano-fiber materials will
be touched on.