What is it about?
Ionic liquids are made entirely of ions. Because these liquids are conductive, they respond to the application of an electric field. If the field is strong enough, you can even emit ions from the surface of the liquid! Here, we have simulated the molecules of an ionic liquid under this condition and analysed the emission process.
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Photo by Terry Vlisidis on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The emission of ions from ionic liquids using electric fields can have many applications. But one of its main usages is a very cool one... to propel a spacecraft. The continuous emission and acceleration of tiny ions produce thrust, a very small one, but highly efficient at the same time. Our work aims to provide a better understanding of the ion emission process, so we can better control the performance of these small thrusters.
Perspectives
This article was produced as part of my PhD is Aerospace Engineering. Working together with my supervisor, Prof John Stark, and learning about space propulsion has been an incredible experience. I hope my thoughts on this subject contribute to the current discussion about electrospray thrusters.
Guillermo Guevara Morales
Queen Mary University of London
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Study of field ion emission from ionic liquids using molecular dynamics simulations, Physics of Fluids, January 2024, American Institute of Physics,
DOI: 10.1063/5.0180409.
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