Tom Coles
tcoles ‘at’ mit.edu
Degrees Pursued: Doctorate
Research Interests: Electrospray emission modeling with molecular dynamics
Research Summary:
Molecular dynamics simulations can be used to study the emission of ions from ionic liquids during electrospray emission. This work ultimately aims to improve models of the physics in this process; in particular, it is important to understand the distribution of emitted ion cluster sizes, as this has a significant impact on electrospray thruster efficiency. This work could ultimately lead to the identification of improved ionic liquid propellants before embarking on lab tests.
