Development and Characterization of Electrochemically Machined Tungsten Extractor Electrodes for Electrospray Thrusters
Name
Development_and_Characterization_of_Electrochemically_Machined_Tungsten_Extractor_Electrodes_for_Electrospray_Thrusters.pdf
Size
3.6 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
a168f44a6c4169924f3d6b095a187a98
Author(s)
Gale, Alex E.
Shaik, Saba Z.
Lozano, Paulo C.
Date Issued
September 2025
Publisher
Electric Rocket Propulsion Society | Proceedings of the 39th International Electric Propulsion Conference
Citation
Gale, Alex E., Shaik, Saba Z. and Lozano, Paulo C. 2025. "Development and Characterization of Electrochemically Machined Tungsten Extractor Electrodes for Electrospray Thrusters."
Version
Final published version
Abstract
This work explores electrochemically machined (ECM) tungsten extractors as an alternative to microfabricated silicon, in order to benefit from manufacturability, improved
ion optics through chamfered apertures, reduced secondary electron emission, and the potential for thinner geometries. A custom ECM fabrication process employing a linearly
oscillating cathodic paddle in sodium hydroxide was designed to manufacture extractors
and increase aperture uniformity. Using through-mask ECM, a 76.2 µm thick tungsten
extractor was fabricated, achieving a mean aperture diameter of 368 µm with a standard
deviation of 29 µm. The extractor was integrated with a modified version of the MIT
ion electrospray propulsion system (iEPS) to form a complete thruster. Characterization
included current-voltage sweeps, angular beam scans, and retarding potential analysis.
Measured efficiencies are comparable to previous iEPS thrusters, with intercepted currents ranging approximately between 1–2% of emitted current. These results demonstrate
that ECM tungsten extractors can deliver at least similar performance to existing designs
while offering improved manufacturability and scalability for future electrospray propulsion
systems.
Description
39th International Electric Propulsion Conference, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom 14-19 September 2025
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
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