Journal: Chemical Engineering Journal, vol. 508, pp. 160990, 2025.
Title: A study on iron-composite polymer propellants for improved plasma generation in electric propulsion systems
Authors: Chao-Wei Huang, Ping-Han Huang, Zong-Ying Yang, Yueh-Heng Li*
Rank: 3.6% (3/83), SCI, ENGINEERING: CHEMICAL, 2024.
Impact Factor: 13.2
Abstract: Pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs) are widely employed in CubeSats due to their compact size, simplicity, and ability to generate small and precise thrust. However, their low efficiency and thrust-to-power ratio limit broader adoption. This study introduces a novel PMMA-based metal-composite polymer propellant (PMMA@Fe) doped with iron powder to replace the conventional PTFE propellant. PMMA@Fe samples with iron powder concentrations ranging from 5 wt% to 20 wt% were synthesized and evaluated. The addition of iron powder reduced plasma impedance and increased discharge currents, resulting in a 62.5% improvement in impulse bit (from 80.3 μNs to 131.9 μNs) and a 63.5% enhancement in the thrust-to-power ratio (from 17.8 μN/J to 29.3 μN/J) when compared to pure PMMA.
Material characterization revealed that the ablation rate of PMMA@Fe increased from 4.6 μg/shot (pure PMMA) to 8.2 μg/shot (5 wt% Fe) and plateaued at higher concentrations. Plasma plume analysis confirmed a 50 % increase in plasma generation as the iron content rose to 20 wt%, supported by a 40 % increase in optical emission intensity of PMMA decomposition species. Despite the enhanced performance, high iron content (≥15 wt%) led to irregular discharges and carbon–metal deposition, limiting the thruster’s operational lifespan to 6,000 discharges.
The study concludes that the PMMA@Fe propellant with 15 wt% iron offers an optimal balance, achieving 18.7 % thrust efficiency and a specific impulse of 1,324 s, while maintaining structural integrity. These findings demonstrate the potential of PMMA@Fe to enhance PPT performance for CubeSat applications.
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