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The multi-mode chemical-electric propulsion capable energetic ionic liquid propellant [Emim][EtSO 4 ]-HAN is electrosprayed in a 100 μm capillary emitter to test the electricmode performance of the propellant. The ionic liquid exhibits stable electrospray emission in both cation and anion extraction modes at a nominal extraction voltage of 3400 V. Near field measurements of current and mass flow rate distribution are taken at flow rates from 0.19 nL/s to 3.06 nL/s. Total emission current, as measured by Faraday cup and integrated, increases from 754 nA to 3195 nA for cation emission and from 552 nA to 2012 nA for anion emission. The thrust and specific impulse at 0.19 nL/s flow rate is 1.08 μN and 412 seconds, respectively, with a beam power of 2.22 mW. At 3.06 nL/s, the thrust is 8.71 μN and the specific impulse is 204 seconds with a beam power of 8.85 mW. Extrapolation of the current data shows that specific impulse in excess of 1000 seconds is achievable through optimized feed system and emitter design.

Capillary-based electrospray thrusters allow user-enabled control of the volumetric flow rate of the propellant. This control, coupled with mass spectrometry techniques spanning a large mass-to-charge range, enables elucidation of the composition of the electrospray beam and through further analyses, a better understanding of the physics occurring at the liquid/vacuum interface. In this work, mass spectra of selected ionic liquids electrosprayed from a capillary emitter are measured, using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, over a wide range of volumetric flow rates. The time-of-flight mass spectrometer enables simultaneous acquisition over a mass-to-charge range of 20 amu/q to ~500,000 amu/q in a single pulse cycle. Additionally, the use of orthogonal extraction enables direct determination of the kinetic energies of ions present in the electrosprayed beam. The presented data reveal a complex emission process occurring for ionic liquid capillary-based electrospray at nanoliter volumetric flow rates. The electrospray beam mass-to-charge composition includes a sequence of singly-charged ions and doubly-charged ions at nearly all sampled flow rates for all electrosprayed ionic liquids. In addition to the small ion-clusters, two Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions from approximately 10,000 amu/q to 500,000 amu/q exist in the spectra each with mass-to-charge distribution sensitive to the volumetric flow rate. The volumetric flow rate dependence of the largest charge-to-mass ratio droplets appears to be consistent with previously measured scaling laws, although exhibiting a wide mass-to-charge distribution. The flow rate dependence of the lower mass-to-charge distribution is more complex and is discussed in some detail. Measurement of the time-of-flight mass spectrum for a number of different ion kinetic energy defects over a number of different volumetric flow rates results in a more thorough understanding of kinetic energy losses experienced in the jet structure of the Taylor cone, with direct impacts to the thrust performance of these types of devices. The appearance of these ions and distributions alter the thought on the emission mechanism at work in the electrospray system. No longer is electrospray defined and easily explained by the Iribarne emission mechanism and droplet generation by the Rayleigh instability.