Method and Apparatus for a Porous Metal Electrospray Emitter
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsPaulo Lozano, Robert Scott Legge
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ionic liquid ion source can include a microfabricated body including a base and a tip. The microfabricated body can be formed of a porous metal compatible (e.g., does not react or result in electrochemical decaying or corrosion) with an ionic liquid or a room-temperature molten salt. The microfabricated body can have a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, so that the ionic liquid can be transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.
Claims33
An ionic liquid ion source comprising:
- a microfabricated body comprising a base and a tip and formed of a porous metal compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid, or room-temperature molten salt;
- and
- wherein the microfabricated body has a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the body to the tip of the body, such that the ionic liquid is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.
An ionic liquid ion source comprising:
- a plurality of emitters microfabricated from a porous metal compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid, or room-temperature molten salt;
- and
- wherein each emitter has a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the emitter to the tip of the emitter, such that the ionic liquid is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip of each emitter.
The ion source of clam 8 wherein the ionic liquid is capable of being continuously transported through capillarity from the base to the tip of each emitter.
A system for producing ions comprising:
- a source of at least one of ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt;
- an array of emitters microfabricated from a porous metal compatible with the at least one of ionic liquid or room-temperature molten salt, wherein each emitter has a pore size gradient that decreases from the base of the emitter to the tip of the emitter such that the ionic liquid is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip of each emitter;
- an electrode positioned downstream relative to the array of emitters;
- and
- a power source for providing a voltage to the array of emitters with respect to the electrode.
A method for manufacturing an array of electrospray emitters comprising:
- applying polyimide to a first side of a sample comprising a porous metal compatible with an ionic liquid;
- applying photoresist to the first side of the sample;
- applying a transparency mask to the first side of the sample and exposing the sample to UV light to form an emitter geometry pattern;
- removing the photoresist from the sample;
- curing the sample to harden the polyimide;
- electrochemically etching the sample to form an emitter geometry;
- removing the polyimide resulting in an array of electrospray emitters;
- and
- processing a tip of each emitter to vary a pore size between each tip and each base of each emitter in the array.
A method for manufacturing an ion emitter comprising:
- forming a body from a porous metal compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid or room temperature molten salt, the body having a pore size gradient that decreases from a first end of the body to a second end of the body;
- and
- microfabricating the body to form a base relative to the first end of the body and a tip relative to the second end of the body, wherein the ionic liquid is capable of being transported through capillarity from the base to the tip.
A method for manufacturing an ion source comprising:
- forming an emitter geometry pattern on a unitary substrate comprising a porous metal compatible with at least one of an ionic liquid, or room-temperature molten salt;
- electrochemically etching the unitary substrate to form a plurality of emitters, wherein each emitter comprises a base at the first end of the substrate and a tip at the second end of the substrate;
- and
- processing the tip of each emitter to form a pore size gradient that varies from the base to the tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.