Nanoparticle electric propulsion: Experimental results
This paper presents experimental results concerning the nanoparticle Field Extraction Thruster (nanoFET) concept under development at the University of Michigan. The nanoFET concept offers an electric propulsion approach that can have a highly adjustable charge-to-mass ratio and electrostatic acceleration that potentially could span a specific impulse range from ∼100 s to ∼10,000 s and thrust power ranging from microwatts to many tens of kilowatts at high efficiency. Here, we report on experiments addressing particle charging, particle transport through an insulating liquid, particle extraction from a liquid, and Taylor cone formation. In addition, it has been shown that particles can be extracted from liquid using electric fields without the formation of Taylor cones or colloidal droplets. These experimental results have validated our initial theoretical models building confidence in the fundamental feasibility of the nanoFET concept.
