Nano-

FET
Scalable Flat-Panel Nanoparticle
Propulsion Technology for Space
Exploration in the 21st Century
Brian Gilchrist
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
2006 NIAC Annual Meeting
Tucson, AZ
October 18, 2006
2
Nano-
FET Project Participants
Extraction & Acceleration of
Nanoparticles; Systems &
Mission Design
Faculty
Brian Gilchrist, Electrical
Engineering & Space
Systems
Alec Gallimore, Aerospace
Engineering & Applied
Physics
Michael Keidar, Aerospace
Engineering
Students
Thomas Liu, Aerospace
Engineering
Louis Musinski, Electrical
Engineering
Prashant Patel, Aerospace
Engineering
Storage & Transport of
Nanoparticles
Faculty
Mark Burns, Chemical &
Biomedical Engineering
Michael Solomon, Chemical
Engineering &
Macromolecular Science and
Engineering
J oanna Mirecki-Millunchick,
Materials Science and
Engineering
Students
Deshpremy Mukhija,
Chemical Engineering
Kyung Sung, Chemical
Engineering
3
Nano-
FET Presentation Outline
Electric propulsion
systems
What is nanoFET?
Potential nanoFET
advantages
Work-to-date
Particle charging, transport,
extraction, and acceleration
Liquid surface instability
Phase II work plan
Particle extraction and
acceleration
Particle storage and transport
Systems and mission analysis
Acknowledgments
NASA Institute for Advanced
Concepts
Matthew Forsyth & Bailo Ngom,
University of Michigan
Robb Gillespie, University of
Michigan
4
Nano-
FET Electric Propulsion Systems
The acceleration of charged
gases or particles for propulsion
by electrical heating and/or by
electric and magnetic body forces
Advantages
High specific impulse possible
Low propellant cost compared to
chemical rockets
Disadvantages
Limited specific impulse range
Low efficiency when operating at low
specific impulses
Charge exchange collisions (CEX)
and hollow cathodes limit thruster
lifetime
1
2
sp
0
1
2
o
p
q
m
I V
g

=



1
2
2
o
p
m
q
T
P V

=


Source: PEPL
5
Nano-
FET What is nanoFET?
nanoparticle Field
Extraction Thruster
Scalable arrays of micron-
sized emitters
thousands to millions of
emitters possible
integrated MEMS/NEMS units
Nanoparticle propellant
electrostatic charging and
acceleration
great flexibility in controlling
charge-to-mass ratio to tune
performance
In situ propellant
manufacture?
Use MEMS/NEMS structures for
propellant feed & acceleration
100-nm dia. 45-nm dia. x 500-nm length
Use nanoparticles of various
geometries and materials as
propellant
S
o
u
r
c
e
:

P
h
i
l
i
p
s

E
l
e
c
t
r
o
n
i
c
s
S
o
u
r
c
e
:

N
.

B
e
h
a
n
6
Nano-
FET
Dielectric Liquid
Configuration
Low vapor pressure,
dielectric liquid transports
nanoparticles of specific
geometry to extraction
zones
Biased MEMS gate
structures produce
charging & accelerating
electric fields
Charge neutralization can
be achieved by other
emitters operating at
opposite polarity
Nanoparticle
Accelerating
Gate
Dielectric
Spacer
Dielectric
Liquid
Reservoir
Charging Electrode
Conducting & no liquid options possible
7
Nano-
FET
Stages of emitter operation
1. Transport to extraction zone
via recirculating flow in
microfluidic channel
2. Charging by contact with
charging electrode
3. Lift-off from charging
electrode & transit through
liquid
4. Extraction from liquid
surface
5. Acceleration through biased
gate structures & ejection
from emitter

2
V
0
V
N
V
Conducting Grid

Conducting Grid

Conducting Grid

Conducting Grid

~1 m
1
V
Dielectric




Conducting Plate

Charged
Nanoparticles






Dielectric

Dielectric



E
ur

Liquid
Reservoir
Uncharged
Nanoparticles
Liquid Flow Liquid Flow
Conductor
Conductor
Conductor
Conductor
E
ur
E
ur
8
Nano-
FET nanoFET Advantages
Decouples propulsion system
design from spacecraft design
Geometrically scalable with power
level
Plug-and-play approach
Affords broader set of missions and
mission phases with single engine
type
Variable specific impulse over large
range
High thrust-to-power with high
efficiencies
Both mission enhancing and
mission enabling
Eliminates lifetime-limiting factors of
existing EP systems
Lowers thruster specific mass
Flat-panel nanoFET architecture
can be scaled for microsats to
flagship missions
Nanoparticle
Emitters
PPU
Acceleration
System
Prime
Power
Particle Storage
(Variable Depth)
10 W
1 kW
10 kW
<1 W
Gimbal
Structure
Leveraging single engine type
across broad range of missions
lowers time for propulsion system
development, testing, and
qualification and thus cost
9
Nano-
FET Compact & Scalable Design
25 m
Emission Sites
2 m
Individual nanoFET Emitters
3 cm
Emitter Array
Plug-and-play technology
provides design flexibility,
simplifies system integration, and
lowers thruster specific mass
10
Nano-
FET Large Isp Range
Diameter [nm] Hei ght [nm] Isp range [s]
5 100 100-500
1 100 500-2000
1 3500 2000-10000
1 400 800-4000
High thrust-to-
power
High efficiency
Wertz, 1999
With single engine type:
High Isp cruise to reduce
propellant cost
Low Isp mode for greater thrust
capability
Speci c Impulse (s)
Speci c Impulse (s)
I
n
t
e
r
n
a
l

E
f

c
i
e
n
c
y
T
h
r
u
s
t
-
t
o
-
P
o
w
e
r

(
m
N
/
k
W
)
11
Nano-
FET
Greater Mission Flexibility
Using Variable Isp
Variable-Isp engines
Consume less propellant than
constant-Isp engines
Can optimize thrust profile in
real time to accommodate
missions with unplanned or
unknown maneuvers
Enables propellant-time trade to
be conducted
Benefits
Wider margin to accommodate
off-nominal mission scenarios
Improved capability for dynamic
retasking and flight time
adjustment


N
o
r
m
a
l
i
z
e
d

p
r
o
p
e
l
l
a
n
t

c
o
s
t
Transfer time (min)
I
s
p

r
a
n
g
e

(
s
)
Constant Isp
Variable Isp

Min Variable Isp
Max Variable Isp
Optimal constant Isp
12
Nano-
FET Summary of Work-to-Date
Assessed significance of
nanoFET as a propulsion
system for space missions
Addressed fundamental
physics questions regarding
nanoFETs feasibility
Demonstrated regime for particle
extraction prior to liquid surface
instability using scaled-up proof-of-
concept tests
Modeled nanoFETs projected
performance with decreased particle
sizes
( )
( )
2
ex
ln 4
( )
exp
ln 4 ln
p
A
q t A
m l A l A




13
Nano-
FET
Proof-of-Concept
Experiments
Understand how nanoFET
works at scaled-up
dimensions
Validate models of particle
behavior and liquid surface
instability
Experiments
Particle charging, transport, &
lift-off
Particle extraction through
liquid surface
Particle acceleration & ejection
using multi-grid structure
Threshold for liquid surface
instability
0
V
N
V
1
V
Liquid
Reservoir
Charging Grid
2
V
Dielectric
Dielectric
Accelerating
Grid
Extraction
Grid
Accelerating
Grid
Accelerating
Grid
E
v
E
v
Charged
Nanoparticle
14
Nano-
FET
Particle Charging, Transport,
and Lift-Off
Demonstrate charging and
transport of conducting
particles in dielectric liquid with
high electric fields
Particles: aluminum
Cylinders (300-m dia. by 2.5-mm
length
Spheres (800-m dia.)
Liquid: 100-cSt silicone oil
Cylindrical
Particles
Spherical
Particles
V
Electrode
Electrode
Gap Filled w/
Silicone Oil
E-Fields
Conducting
Particles
Experimental Setup:
Liquid filled electrode gap
with conducting particles
5 mm
15
Nano-
FET
Particle Extraction &
Acceleration Through Grid
Particle charged on charging electrode
V
1
Charging Electrode
E-Fields
Conducting
Particle
Experimental Setup:
V
2
E-Fields
Grid 1
Grid 2
Charging Electrode
Grid 1
Grid 2
2 mm
Liquid
Surface
Particle
16
Nano-
FET
Particle Extraction &
Acceleration Through Grid
Particle extracted through liquid surface
Particle appears to shift to left due to diffraction through test apparatus
Charging Electrode
Liquid
Surface
Grid 1
Grid 2
2 mm
Particle
Charged particle is
transported to and
extracted through liquid
surface by intense electric
fields

m
p
+ Km
l
( )
dv
dt
= q(t)E
l
+ F
buoyant
W D F
surface
0
( ) exp ,
l
l
t
q t q
r

o
[
= ~ =
| j
\ )
17
Nano-
FET
Particle Extraction &
Acceleration Through Grid
Particle ejected from dual grid structure
Particle is accelerated
through the dual gird
structure and finally
ejected to provide thrust
Charging Electrode
Grid 1
Grid 2
2 mm
Liquid
Surface
Particle
18
Nano-
FET
V
Electrode
Electrode
1. Charges are
pulled to surface
E-Fields
V
Electrode
Electrode
2. E-field pulls
liquid up, surface
tension pulls down
V
Electrode
Electrode
3. Charged
droplets are pulled
off surface
1. Electric field acts to pull free charge to liquid surface
2. Cones form as a result of balancing surface tension and electric
forces
3. Electric field breaks cone off and accelerates charged liquid
droplets
Surface Instability & Taylor
Cone Formation
19
Nano-
FET
Surface Instability Threshold
Charged liquid droplet emission degrades nanoFETs performance by
decreasing efficiency and controllability of charge-to-mass ratio
Does regime exist where particles are extracted without charged
droplets?...
Spheres:
800 m dia.
Cylinders
300 m dia.
by 1.5 mm
length
Gap =12.7 mm
Experimentally
demonstrated regime
where particles are
extracted prior to liquid
surface instabilities!
1
1
2
2
4
0 0
0,min
2
0
4
1
l
l
g
E
p r
r r
~
| |
[ [
| | = +
| j | j
| |
\ ) \ )
| |
20
Nano-
FET
Phase II Work Plan
Increase physical understanding of particle
charging, extraction, and acceleration as particle
size is reduced from sub-millimeter scale down to
micro- and nanometer scales
Develop quantitative understanding of micro- and
nanoparticle storage and transport to extraction
zone
Provide assessment of mission scenarios whose
capabilities would be enabled or expanded by
nanoFET
21
Nano-
FET
Phase II: Nanoparticle
Extraction & Acceleration
How will particle extraction through liquid surface change
as particle dimension decreases?
How does liquid wetting on the particle change?
What about liquid surface instability threshold under flow and
zero-g conditions?
How do particle charging properties change as size is
reduced?
Does particle conductivity change when particle size is reduced
to only several hundred atoms or less?
How will reducing contact area between particle and charging
electrode affect charging process?
Can common liquid and particles useful for extraction,
transport, and storage be identified?
22
Nano-
FET Planned Experimental Work
Verify accuracy and reliability of
charge acquired by particles
Extend particle charging,
transport, and extraction
experiments down to micro- and
ultimately down to nano-scale
Verify particle extraction behavior
under vacuum is the same as in
atmosphere
Determine feasibility of particle
charging, transport, and
extraction from slightly
conducting liquid
Test prototype extractor &
integrated feed system
23
Nano-
FET
Theoretical Work
Refinements
Electrohydrodynamic
behavior and instability
thresholds in zero-g
Particle effects at
nanoscales
Particle extraction through
liquid surface
Particle wetting
Field enhancement effects
Space charge current
limitations due to viscous
liquid
2
3
9
8
l
l
l
V q D
j
d v

=
1. Particle extraction (experiment)
2. Particle extraction (theory)
3. Feasible design space (theory)
4. Taylor cone formation (experiment and theory)
4
Fluid level at
specific test
24
Nano-
FET MEMS Gate Prototype
1 cm
Single-layer gate integrated with
CNT substrate for field emission
Array of emission channels (2-m
diameter, 5-m hole-to-hole
spacing)
Top
Isometric
25
Nano-
FET
Phase II: Nanoparticle
Storage & Transport
Under what conditions can nanoparticles be stored at
high density and yet be transported as individual
particles?
What are practical and future limits to nanoparticle fluxes
when delivered in circulating channel networks?
How do nanoparticle properties, including size, shape,
and material properties, affect transport and storage
properties?
26
Nano-
FET Microfluidic Feed System
High
density
packing for
low
parasitic
liquid mass
Controlled
displacement
of individual
particles
Profs. M. Solomon, M. Burns,
& J. Mirecki-Millunchick
University of Michigan
On-demand
release of
individual
particles
27
Nano-
FET
Particle Control: Metering in
Fluidic Channels
Particle properties:
NIST polystyrene:
210.4 m
10 L of 0.01 wt%
2-valve PDMS device
Vanapalli, Sung,
Mukhija
side
view
valve
uid channel
28
Nano-
FET
Particle Control: Transport
in Fluidic Channels
90m
90m
90m
1)
2)
3)
Multi-channel pressure actuation used to move particles
along complex trajectories (~ 20 m particles)
Sung, Vanapalli, Mukhija
29
Nano-
FET
Reservoir for Particle
Storage & Transport
Transport 20 m
particles from
storage area
reservoir to thruster
Seek high reservoir
loadings to minimize
parasitic mass
Sung, Mukhija, Vanapalli
30
Nano-
FET
Shape Effects on Particle
Transport
Mukhija, Vanapalli, Sung
Poly(methyl methacrylate)
(PMMA) rods (length ~ 10 m)
with narrow polydispersity
PMMA rod (aspect
ratio ~ 5) transport in
fluidic channels
31
Nano-
FET
Phase II: nanoFET Systems
& Mission Analysis
Performance optimization
Particle & liquid properties
Geometric configurations
Current density limits
System efficiency
Liquid drag & charge exchange
Particle impingement on gate
Beam defocusing
Case studies of missions
using nanoFET
Coupling between propulsion
and power systems
Remote sensing near
gravitational bodies
Variable-Isp to accommodate
off-nominal conditions
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
1 10 100
Aspect Ratio
N
o
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a
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E
x
t
r
a
c
t
i
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n

E
l
e
c
t
r
i
c

F
i
e
l
d
r =15 m
r =150 m
r =75 m
At constant liquid
thickness
Low extraction electric
field achieved by: high
aspect ratio & reduced
liquid thickness
32
Nano-
FET Other nanoFET Applications
Biomedical
targeted drug delivery to cells
cell tagging for diagnostics &
tracking
cutting/dissection tool
subdermal implantation
More than just propulsion!
Materials processing
implanting charged
particles (doping &
printing)
etching
Source: National Cancer Institute
nanoFET
Cancer Cell
Material Substrate
Nano-
FET
Conclusions
34
Nano-
FET Backup Slides
35
Nano-
FET
1. Particle in contact with bottom electrode in
presence of electric field becomes charged
2. Resulting Coulomb force on charged particle
transports particle to top electrode
3. At top electrode, particle becomes charged
with opposite polarity but same magnitude
4. Coulomb force pulls particle back down to
bottom electrode and process repeats
V
Electrode
Electrode
1. Charged on
bottom electrode (-)
V
Electrode
Electrode
2. Transported to top
electrode
V
Electrode
Electrode
3. Charged on top
electrode (+)
V
Electrode
Electrode
4. Transported to
bottom electrode
l l
E r q
sph

2
3
3
2
=

q
cyl , vert
=
l
2
r
l
E
l
ln
2l
r
[
\
|

)
j
~1
Particle Charging, Transport,
& Lift-Off
36
Nano-
FET
Particle Extraction Through
Liquid Surface
Demonstrate
Use intense electric field to
overcome surface tension
forces and extract particles
from liquid
Particles: aluminum
Spheres (800 and 1600 m
dia.)
Cylinders (300 m dia. by
1.0 - 3.0 mm length)
Liquid: 100 cSt silicone oil
Experimental Setup:
Partially liquid filled electrode
gap with conducting
particles
Electrode
Electrode
Air gap E-Fields
in Air gap
Conducting
Particles
E-Fields in
liquid gap
Silicone Oil
d
l
d
V
37
Nano-
FET
Cylindrical particles in
oscillation
diameter = 300 m
length = 1.5 mm
gap = 12.7 mm
liquid height = 5 mm
V ~ 14 kV
1
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
2
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
Bottom
Electrode
Particles
3
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
Particle Extraction Through
Liquid Surface
38
Nano-
FET
Required electric fields
for particle extraction
depends on
Particle size/shape
Electric field strength
1
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
2
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
Bottom
Electrode
Particles
3
Steel
Electrodes
Liquid
Surface
Particles
Particle Extraction Through
Liquid Surface