Ion propulsion is critical to maintaining small satellites in low earth orbit (LEO), where residual atmospheric gases cause drag and fuel reserves are highly constrained. While very efficient, such thrusters emit one charge polarity leading to spacecraft degradation from charge buildup. Therefore, neutralizing such emission is critical. Mainstream thermionic cathodes do poorly in LEO due to their reactivity. Also, unlike conventional manufacturing methods, 3D printing’s net shape fabrication and low material waste are compatible with in-space manufacturing. Leveraging advances in manufacturing tools and a novel ink concentration process, the Velasquez Group has developed carbon nanotube-based field emission electron sources that achieve record-setting emission current density. The devices are made by direct ink writing on arbitrary substrates.
The work was presented last December at PowerMEMS 2022 in Salt Lake, Utah, by authors Alex Kachkine and Luis Fernando Velásquez-García. PowerMEMS is the premier international conference on micro and nanotechnology on power generation and energy conversion. A panel of academics and industry experts selected the paper as the best from a pool of over a hundred submissions. This is the third time the Velasquez group has achieved the Best Paper Award at PowerMEMS—a testament to MTL’s impactful research history in the PowerMEMS community.
The full paper, “Densely Packed, Additively Manufactured, In-Plane Gated Carbon Nanotube Field Emission Electron Sources,” is available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/PowerMEMS56853.2022.10007579
Congratulations Alex and Luis!