Liquid metal

About: Liquid metal is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 6947 publications have been published within this topic receiving 77785 citations. The topic is also known as: liquid alloy & liquid metal alloy.

Liquid metals: fundamentals and applications in chemistry

Abstract: Post-transition elements, together with zinc-group metals and their alloys belong to an emerging class of materials with fascinating characteristics originating from their simultaneous metallic and liquid natures. These metals and alloys are characterised by having low melting points (i.e. between room temperature and 300 °C), making their liquid state accessible to practical applications in various fields of physical chemistry and synthesis. These materials can offer extraordinary capabilities in the synthesis of new materials, catalysis and can also enable novel applications including microfluidics, flexible electronics and drug delivery. However, surprisingly liquid metals have been somewhat neglected by the wider research community. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals underlying liquid metal research, including liquid metal synthesis, surface functionalisation and liquid metal enabled chemistry. Furthermore, we discuss phenomena that warrant further investigations in relevant fields and outline how liquid metals can contribute to exciting future applications.

Eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn): a moldable liquid metal for electrical characterization of self-assembled monolayers.

Abstract: Herein we describe the formation of conformal electrodes from the fluid metal eutectic, Ga–In (which we abbreviate “EGaIn” and pronounce “e-gain”; 75% Ga, 25% In by weight, m.p.= 15.5 8C), and their use in studying charge transport across self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). Although EGaIn is a liquid at room temperature, it does not spontaneously reflow into the shape with the lowest interfacial free energy as do liquids such as Hg and H2O: as a result, it can be formed into metastable, nonspherical structures (e.g., cones, and filaments with diameters 1 mm). This behavior, along with its high electrical conductivity (3.4 4 10 Scm ) and its tendency to make low contact-resistance interfaces with a variety of materials, makes EGaIn useful for forming electrodes for thin-film devices. We discuss the convenience and precision of measurements of current density (J, Acm ) versus applied voltage (V, V) through SAMs of n-alkanethiolates on template-stripped, ultraflat Ag (Ag–SCn Ag–SCnH2n+1, n= 10, 12, 14, 16) using EGaIn. An ideal electrode for physical-organic studies of SAMs would 1) make conformal, but nondamaging, physical contacts, 2) readily form small-area (micrometer diameter) contacts, to minimize the contribution of defects in the SAM to J, 3) form without specialized equipment, and 4) be nontoxic. Point 3 is particularly important: elimination of procedures such as evaporating metals or lithographic patterning would allow a wide range of laboratories—including those without access to clean rooms—to survey relationships between structure and electrical conductivity. There are currently three general techniques for forming top contacts for large-area (i.e., more than a few molecules) electrical measurements on SAMs of organic molecules: 1) The direct deposition of metals such as Au or Ti by using electron-beam or thermal evaporation ensures atomic-level contact, but results in low yields of devices owing to damage to the organic monolayer by reaction with hot metal vapors, and in the formation of metal filaments that short the junctions. 2) The installation of an electrically conducting polymer between the SAM and a metallic top contact inhibits formation of metal filaments, but the instability of SAMs of alkanethiolates to the temperatures required to anneal most electroactive polymers limits the broad application of this approach. 3) The use of Hg allows formation of conformal contacts at room temperature, but Hg is toxic, amalgamates with metals, tends to form junctions that short, is difficult to form into small contacts, and measurements with Hg must be performed under a solvent bath. EGaIn does not flow until it experiences a critical surface stress (0.5 Nm ), at which point it yields (i.e., flows). EGaIn 1) makes conformal, nondamaging contacts at room temperature, 2) can be molded into nonspherical shapes with micrometer-scale (or larger) dimensions, 3) is commercially available, 4) can be deposited with a pipette or syringe without high temperatures or vacuum, 5) has a low vapor pressure, and 6) is nontoxic. The work function of EGaIn (4.1–4.2 eV) is close to that of Hg (4.5 eV), but EGaIn does not alloy with many metals. It is therefore an ideal replacement for Hg, especially in devices that incorporate SAMs (which are generally formed on Au or Ag). Auger spectroscopy on samples of EGaIn in air show that its surface is principally composed of oxides of Ga (see the Supporting Information); gallium oxide is an n-type semiconductor. There is undoubtedly an adsorbed film of water on this surface, as EGaIn has a high surface free energy (ca. 630 dynescm ), as do oxides formed from similar metals. During our measurements, there were no observable changes in the average magnitude or range of J when EGaIn was allowed to sit in air for extended periods before we deposited it on the SAM, or when we performed the measurements using the same drop of EGaIn to form between three and five junctions, or while we flowed dry N2 over the sample: therefore the contribution of the surface oxide to J was probably constant for the duration of the experiments. We formed EGaIn electrodes by suspending a drop of EGaIn from a metal 26s-gauge needle affixed to a 10-mL syringe, bringing the drop into contact with the bare surface of a sacrificial film of Ag using a micromanipulator, and retracting the needle slowly (ca. 50 mms ); the EGaIn adhered to both the needle and the Ag (Figure 1). The drop of EGaIn pinched into to an hour-glass shape until it bifurcated into two structures, one attached to the syringe (a cone approximately 0.05 mL in volume) and one (which was discarded) attached to the Ag. We produced conical tips of EGaIn with diameters ranging from less than 1 mm to 100 mm; the larger the bore of the needle, and the more rapidly we [*] Dr. R. C. Chiechi, Dr. E. A. Weiss, Dr. M. D. Dickey, Prof. G. M. Whitesides Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Harvard University 12 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138 (USA) Fax: (+1)617-495-9857 E-mail: gwhitesides@gmwgroup.harvard.edu

Characterization of Nontoxic Liquid-Metal Alloy Galinstan for Applications in Microdevices

Abstract: We have obtained interfacial properties of Galinstan, a nontoxic liquid-metal alloy, to help replace mercury in miniature devices. To prevent formation of an oxide skin that severely hinders the fluidic behavior of small Galinstan droplets and leads to inaccurate property data, we performed our experiments in a nitrogen-filled glove box. It was found that only if never exposed to oxygen levels above 1 part per million (ppm) would Galinstan droplets behave like a liquid. Two key properties were then investigated: contact angles and surface tension. Advancing and receding contact angles of Galinstan were measured from sessile droplets on various materials: for example, 146.8 and 121.5, respectively, on glass. Surface tension was measured by the pendant-drop method to be 534.6 10.7 mN/m. All the measurements were done in nitrogen at 28 with oxygen and moisture levels below 0.5 ppm. To help design droplet-based microfluidic devices, we tested the response of Galinstan to electrowetting-on-dielectric actuation.

Emerging Applications of Liquid Metals Featuring Surface Oxides

Abstract: Gallium and several of its alloys are liquid metals at or near room temperature. Gallium has low toxicity, essentially no vapor pressure, and a low viscosity. Despite these desirable properties, applications calling for liquid metal often use toxic mercury because gallium forms a thin oxide layer on its surface. The oxide interferes with electrochemical measurements, alters the physicochemical properties of the surface, and changes the fluid dynamic behavior of the metal in a way that has, until recently, been considered a nuisance. Here, we show that this solid oxide “skin” enables many new applications for liquid metals including soft electrodes and sensors, functional microcomponents for microfluidic devices, self-healing circuits, shape-reconfigurable conductors, and stretchable antennas, wires, and interconnects.

A liquid metal reaction environment for the room-temperature synthesis of atomically thin metal oxides.

Abstract: Two-dimensional (2D) oxides have a wide variety of applications in electronics and other technologies. However, many oxides are not easy to synthesize as 2D materials through conventional methods. We used nontoxic eutectic gallium-based alloys as a reaction solvent and co-alloyed desired metals into the melt. On the basis of thermodynamic considerations, we predicted the composition of the self-limiting interfacial oxide. We isolated the surface oxide as a 2D layer, either on substrates or in suspension. This enabled us to produce extremely thin subnanometer layers of HfO2, Al2O3, and Gd2O3. The liquid metal–based reaction route can be used to create 2D materials that were previously inaccessible with preexisting methods. The work introduces room-temperature liquid metals as a reaction environment for the synthesis of oxide nanomaterials with low dimensionality.