Liquid metals (LMs, e.g., EGaIn) promise a vast potential
in accelerating
the development of flexible electronics, smart robots, and wearable
and biomedical devices. Although a variety of emerging processing
methods are reported, they suffer several risks (e.g., leakage, weak
adhesion, and low colloidal and chemical stability) because of their
excellent fluidity, high surface tension, and rapid oxidation. Herein, liquid
metal powders (LMPs) are fabricated
based on a versatile method by vigorously stirring EGaIn with nonmetallic
or organic particles through interfacial interactions. During the
mixing process, EGaIn microdroplets are wrapped with a nonmetallic
or an organic shell by electrostatic adsorption, and a more sticky
oxide layer is constantly generated and then broken owing to the shearing
friction. These transportable powders exhibit superior stability under
extreme conditions (e.g., water and high temperature), being capable
of recovering electrical conductivity and strong adhesion on different
substrates upon mechanical sintering. A flexible, robust, and conductive
coating can be constructed via swabbing with an integrated Joule heating
effect and excellent electromagnetic interference shielding performances,
and it is applicable in flexible wearable electronics, microcircuits,
and wireless power transmission systems.
Environmental pollution and resources waste result from chewed gum pose ecological concerns towards the city. However, traditional disposal approaches is difficult to meet the requirements of low-carbon and sustainable development....
Liquid metal (LM) shows the superiority in smart wearable devices due to its biocompatibility and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, LM based fibers that can achieve multifunctional integrated applications with biodegradability remain a daunting challenge. Herein, versatile LM based fibers are fabricated first by sonication in alginate solution to obtain LM micro/nano droplets and then wet‐spinning into LM/alginate composite fibers. By mixing with high‐concentration alginate solution (4–6 wt.%), the LM micro/nano droplets stability (colloidal stability for > 30 d and chemical stability for > 45 d) are not only improved, but also facilitate its spinning into fibers through bimetallic ions (e.g., Ga3+ and Ca2+) chelation strategy. These resultant fibers can be woven into smart textiles with excellent flexibility, air permeability, water/salt resistance, and high temperature tolerance (−196–150 °C). In addition, inhibition of smoldering result from the LM droplets and bimetallic ions is achieved to enhance flame retardancy. Furthermore, these fibers combine the exceptional properties of LM droplets (e.g., photo‐thermal effect and EMI shielding) and alginate fibers (e.g., biocompatibility and biodegradability), applicable in wearable heating devices, wireless communication, and triboelectric nanogenerator, making it a promising candidate for flexible smart textiles.
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