Novel method relies on graphene-metal metastructures to improve micropropulsion systems

Pulsed laser micropropulsion (PLMP) offers a promising avenue for miniature spacecraft, yet conventional propellants face challenges in balancing efficiency and stability. Researchers from Wuhan University, Henan Academy of Sciences and Purdue University have proposed an optical-propulsion metastructure strategy using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to generate graphene-metal metastructures (GMM), which significantly enhances PLMP performance.