Gallium-Based Room-Temperature Liquid Metals: Actuation and Manipulation of Droplets and Flows

Majidi, Leily; Gritsenko, Dmitry; Xu, Jie

doi:10.3389/fmech.2017.00009

Cited by 18 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…pure Ga or mixtures with In (GaIn) or In and Sn (galinstan, alloy of 68.5% Ga, 21.5% In and 10.0% Sn), the melting point of the liquid metal can be determined. Applications of liquid metals are quite varied − and have included plasmonics, , use as coolants, reconfigurable electronics, soft electronics, acceleration sensors, fluidic antennas, self-fueled motors and oscillators, heavy metal ion sensors, , gas sensors, and catalysts. , An interesting effect is the ability to actuate liquid metals under an electric field applied between two electrodes in aqueous electrolytes which has led to applications in pumps with no moving parts, generating chaotic advection, miniaturized vehicle propulsion, or using ionic concentration gradients in solution for self-propulsion. , In all of these cases, the liquid metal experiences an oxidizing potential on one pole which affects its surface chemistry and contributes to the movement of the liquid metal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Room Temperature Electrochemical Synthesis of Crystalline GaOOH Nanoparticles from Expanding Liquid Metals

2018

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Gallium oxyhydroxide (GaOOH) is a wide band gap semiconductor of interest for a variety of applications in electronics and catalysis where the synthesis of the crystalline form is usually achieved via hydrothermal routes. Here we synthesize GaOOH via the electrochemical oxidation of gallium based liquid metals in solutions of 0.1 M NaNO electrolyte with pH adjusted over the range of 7-8.4 with NaOH. This electrochemical approach employed under ambient conditions results in the formation of crystalline oblong shaped α-GaOOH nanoparticles from both liquid gallium and liquid galinstan which is a eutectic based on Ga, In, and Sn. The size and shape of the GaOOH particles could be controlled by the solution pH. The product is characterized with scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. During the electrochemical oxidation process, the liquid metal drop was found to expand significantly in the case of galinstan due to a constant electrowetting effect which resulted in the continuous expulsion of nanomaterial from the expanding liquid metal droplet. This electrochemical approach may be applicable to other liquid metals for the fabrication of metal oxide nanomaterials and also demonstrates that significant chemical reactions may be occurring at the surface of liquid metals that are actuated under an applied electric field in aqueous electrolytes.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Room Temperature Electrochemical Synthesis of Crystalline GaOOH Nanoparticles from Expanding Liquid Metals

2018

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“…Liquid metals and alloys have exceptional properties that make them particularly attractive for applications: potential uses include electrical energy storage and generation as, e.g., electrodes for all-liquid high capacity batteries [1] and efficient heat exchange fluids in concentrated solar power systems [2]. By virtue of their nontoxicity, low viscosity, and high thermal and electrical conductivity, low-melting point gallium-based liquid metals have applications from cooling integrated electronics to manufacturing flexible and reconfigurable electronic devices and soft robotics [3][4][5][6]. Such optimal thermophysical properties are governed by the atomic-scale structure of these liquids.…”

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confidence: 99%

Structural Ordering in Liquid Gallium under Extreme Conditions

et al. 2020

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The atomic-scale structure, melting curve, and equation of state of liquid gallium has been measured to high pressure (p) and high temperature (T) up to 26 GPa and 900 K by in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations up to 33.4 GPa and 1000 K are in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements, providing detailed insight at the level of pair distribution functions. The results reveal an absence of dimeric bonding in the liquid state and a continuous increase in average coordination numbern Ga Ga from 10.4(2) at 0.1 GPa approaching ∼12 by 25 GPa. Topological cluster analysis of the simulation trajectories finds increasing fractions of fivefold symmetric and crystalline motifs at high p-T. Although the liquid progressively resembles a hard-sphere structure towards the melting curve, the deviation from this simple description remains large (≥40%) across all p-T space, with specific motifs of different geometries strongly correlating with low local two-body excess entropy at high p-T.

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“…However, their application is hampered due to their toxicity, radioactivity and other health hazards. 60 Among these liquid metals, only gallium (with a melting point of 29.7 °C) and its alloys, such as EGaIn (75.5% wt of gallium and 24.5% wt of indium) and GaInSn (8% wt gallium, 22% wt of indium, and 10% wt of tin), 62 can potentially be used for healthcare applications as they are less hazardous and possess excellent mechanical deformability and electrical conductivities. Accordingly, the combination of gallium-based liquid metals and microfluidics can create unparallel opportunities for soft electronics and on-skin wearable devices.…”

Section: Liquid Metal-based Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%