Ionic Liquids in Electrospray Propulsion Systems

BD Prince and BA Fritz and YH Chiu, IONIC LIQUIDS: SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS, 1117, 27-+ (2012).

This chapter provides a brief introduction to the use of ionic liquids in electric space propulsion systems. Pertinent performance parameters and recent advances in the use of ionic liquids in electrospray propulsion applications are described. Future use and development of these systems requires a combination of experimental investigation and modeling efforts. A theoretical investigation using atomistic molecular dynamics for an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, is presented. A mass spectrometric study of 2-hydroxyethylhydrazinium nitrate energetic ionic liquid emitted from an externally wetted titanium emitter is presented.

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