Abstract
Abstract : This project involved an investigation of ionic liquid ion sources (ILIS) for use in electrospray emitters for miniaturized spacecraft propulsion. Ion extraction is achieved by stressing the ionic liquid into a Taylor cone structure, formed on the apex of micro-sized, nanostructured tips known as emitters. These ion sources can be used in applications such as ILIS electrospray propulsion for multi-scale spacecraft and materials processing at the nanoscale. Through this research, the two fundamental life-limiting issues of ILIS operation have been identified and mitigated: electrochemical degradation and gas discharges. A distal electrode configuration was proposed and verified as a strategy to curtail electrochemistry. Furthermore, it was determined that trapped micro-bubbles of gas inside porous ILIS substrates can cause degassing during operation, leading to electrical discharges that provoke to device failure. It was demonstrated that discharges are suppressed through adequate liquid filling strategies. Lastly, novel fabrication techniques for emitter substrates and electrodes based on nanomaterials have been explored. Fabrication of porous dielectric substrates in micron-sized molds has been achieved by sintering of glass micro beads.
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