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Agarwal R, Mohamad A. Gallium-based liquid metals as smart responsive materials: Morphological forms and stimuli characterization. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2024; 329:103183. [PMID: 38788305 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2024.103183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Gallium-based liquid metals (GaLMs) have garnered monumental attention from the scientific community due to their diverse actuation characteristics. These metals possess remarkable characteristics, including high surface tension, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, phase transformation behaviour, minimal viscosity and vapour pressure, lack of toxicity, and biocompatibility. In addition, GaLMs have melting points that are either lower or near room temperature, making them incredibly beneficial when compared to solid metals since they can be easily deformed. Thus, there has been significant progress in developing multifunctional devices using GaLMs, including bio-devices, flexible and self-healing circuits, and actuators. Despite numerous reports on these liquid metals (LMs), there is an urgent need for consolidated and coherent literature regarding their actuation principles linked to the targeted application. This will ensure that the reader gets the flavour of physics behind the actuation mechanism and how it can be utilized in diverse fields. Moreover, the actuation mechanism has been scattered in the literature, and thus, the primary motive of this review is to provide a one-stop solution for the actuation mechanism and the associated dynamics while directing the readers to specialized literature. Thus, addressing this issue, we thoroughly examine and present a detailed account of the actuation mechanisms of GaLMs while highlighting the science behind them. We also discuss the various morphologies of GaLMs and their crucial physical characteristics which decide their targeted application. Furthermore, we also delve into commonly held beliefs about GaLMs in the literature, such as their toxicity and antibacterial properties, to offer readers a more accurate understanding. Finally, we have explored several key unanswered aspects of the LM that should be explored in future research. The core strength of this review lies in its simplistic approach in offering a starting point for researchers venturing this innovative field, while we make use of existing literature to develop a comprehensive understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Agarwal
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Abdulmajeed Mohamad
- Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.
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2
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Xu X, Shen Y, Xing R, Kong J, Su R, Huang R, Qi W. Galvanic Replacement Synthesis of VO x@EGaIn-PEG Core-Shell Nanohybrids for Peroxidase Mimics. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:21975-21986. [PMID: 38626357 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2024]
Abstract
The development of high-performance biosensors is a key focus in the nanozyme field, but the current limitations in biocompatibility and recyclability hinder their broader applications. Herein, we address these challenges by constructing core-shell nanohybrids with biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) modification using a galvanic replacement reaction between orthovanadate ions and liquid metal (LM) (VOx@EGaIn-PEG). By leveraging the excellent charge transfer properties and the low band gap of the LM surface oxide, the VOx@EGaIn-PEG heterojunction can effectively convert hydrogen peroxide into hydroxyl radicals, demonstrating excellent peroxidase-like activity and stability (Km = 490 μM, vmax = 1.206 μM/s). The unique self-healing characteristics of LM further enable the recovery and regeneration of VOx@EGaIn-PEG nanozymes, thereby significantly reducing the cost of biological detection. Building upon this, we developed a nanozyme colorimetric sensor suitable for biological systems and integrated it with a smartphone to create an efficient quantitative detection platform. This platform allows for the convenient and sensitive detection of glucose in serum samples, exhibiting a good linear relationship in the range of 10-500 μM and a detection limit of 2.35 μM. The remarkable catalytic potential of LM, combined with its biocompatibility and regenerative properties, offers valuable insights for applications in catalysis and biomedical fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojian Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
| | - Yuhe Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
| | - Ruizhe Xing
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China
| | - Jie Kong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, P. R. China
| | - Rongxin Su
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory for Marine Environmental Research and Service, School of Marine Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
| | - Renliang Huang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory for Marine Environmental Research and Service, School of Marine Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
| | - Wei Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P. R. China
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Dai L, Wu X, Hou H, Hu Z, Lin Y, Yuan Z. A system for fluid pumping by liquid metal multi-droplets. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1977-1986. [PMID: 38372394 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc01017a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
The transportation and control of microfluidics have an important influence on the fields of biology, chemistry, and medicine. Pump systems based on the electrocapillary effect and room-temperature liquid metal droplets have attracted extensive attention. Flow rate is an important parameter that reflects the delivery performance of the pump systems. In the systems of previous studies, cylindrical structures are mostly used to constrain the droplet. The analysis and quantitative description of the influence of voltage frequency, alternating voltage, direct current voltage bias, and solution concentration on the flow rate are not yet comprehensive. Furthermore, the systems are driven by only one droplet, which limits the increase in flow rate. Therefore, a pump with a cuboid structure is designed and the droplet is bound by pillars, and the flow rate of the pump is increased by more than 200% compared with the cylindrical pump. For this structure, the mechanism of various factors on the flow rate is analyzed. To further enhance the flow rate, a pump system with multi-droplets is proposed. Moreover, the expression of flow velocity of the solution on the surface of each droplet and the relationship between the flow rate, alternating voltage, and the number of droplets are deduced. Finally, the potential of applying the multi-droplet cuboid pump system in drug delivery and analytical chemistry is demonstrated. Additionally, the core of the pump, the droplet area, is modularized, which breaks the overall structural limitations of the liquid metal pump and provides ideas for pump design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyu Dai
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Xiaomin Wu
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Huimin Hou
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Zhifeng Hu
- Research Center of Solar Power and Refrigeration, School of Mechanical and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yukai Lin
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Zhiping Yuan
- Department of Energy and Power Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.
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Tan S, Han X, Sun Y, Guo P, Sun X, Chai Z, Jiang L, Heng L. Light-Induced Dynamic Manipulation of Liquid Metal Droplets in the Ambient Atmosphere. ACS NANO 2024; 18:8484-8495. [PMID: 38445597 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Dynamic manipulation of liquid metal (LM) droplets, a material combining metallicity and fluidity, has recently revealed tremendous potential in developing unconstrained microrobots. LM manipulating techniques based on magnetic fields, electric fields, chemical reactions, and ion concentration gradients in liquid environments have advanced considerably, but dynamic manipulation in air remains a challenge. Herein, a photoresponsive pyroelectric superhydrophobic (PPS) platform is proposed for noncontact, flexible, and controllable manipulation in the ambient atmosphere. The PPS can generate additional free charges when illuminated by light, thus generating the driving force to manipulate liquid metal droplets. By using the synergistic effect of dielectrophoretic and electrostatic forces generated under light navigation, liquid metal droplets can achieve a series of complex motion behaviors, such as climbing slopes, going over steps, avoiding obstacles, crossing mazes, etc. We further extend the light control of liquid metal droplets to robots applied in electronic circuits, including circuit switching robots and circuit welding robots. This light strategy for manipulating liquid metal droplets provides insights into the development of intelligent, responsive interfaces and simultaneously provides possibilities for the application of liquid metals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengda Tan
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiao Han
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yue Sun
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Pu Guo
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xu Sun
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ziyuan Chai
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Lei Jiang
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Liping Heng
- School of Chemistry, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
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Ye J, Xiang W, Cheng C, Bao W, Zhang Q. Principles and methods of liquid metal actuators. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:2196-2211. [PMID: 38372963 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm01756g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
As a promising material, liquid metals (LMs) have gained considerable interest in the field of soft robotics due to their ability to move as designed routines or change their shape dramatically under external stimuli. Inspired by the science fiction film Terminator, tremendous efforts have been devoted to liquid robots with high compliance and intelligence. How to manipulate LM droplets is crucial to achieving this goal. Accordingly, this review is dedicated to presenting the principles driving LMs and summarizing the potential methods to develop LM actuators of high maneuverability. Moreover, the recent progress of LM robots based on these methods is overviewed. The challenges and prospects of implementing autonomous robots have been proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Ye
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan, 430205, China.
| | - Wentao Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenic Science and Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Cai Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenic Science and Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wendi Bao
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenic Science and Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenic Science and Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Lu G, Ni E, Jiang Y, Wu W, Li H. Room-Temperature Liquid Metals for Flexible Electronic Devices. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2304147. [PMID: 37875665 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202304147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Room-temperature gallium-based liquid metals (RT-GaLMs) have garnered significant interest recently owing to their extraordinary combination of fluidity, conductivity, stretchability, self-healing performance, and biocompatibility. They are ideal materials for the manufacture of flexible electronics. By changing the composition and oxidation of RT-GaLMs, physicochemical characteristics of the liquid metal can be adjusted, especially the regulation of rheological, wetting, and adhesion properties. This review highlights the advancements in the liquid metals used in flexible electronics. Meanwhile related characteristics of RT-GaLMs and underlying principles governing their processing and applications for flexible electronics are elucidated. Finally, the diverse applications of RT-GaLMs in self-healing circuits, flexible sensors, energy harvesting devices, and epidermal electronics, are explored. Additionally, the challenges hindering the progress of RT-GaLMs are discussed, while proposing future research directions and potential applications in this emerging field. By presenting a concise and critical analysis, this paper contributes to the advancement of RT-GaLMs as an advanced material applicable for the new generation of flexible electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guixuan Lu
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250061, China
| | - Erli Ni
- The Institute for Advanced Studies of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Yanyan Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250061, China
| | - Weikang Wu
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250061, China
| | - Hui Li
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, 250061, China
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Shen Y, Jin D, Fu M, Liu S, Xu Z, Cao Q, Wang B, Li G, Chen W, Liu S, Ma X. Reactive wetting enabled anchoring of non-wettable iron oxide in liquid metal for miniature soft robot. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6276. [PMID: 37805612 PMCID: PMC10560245 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41920-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic liquid metal (LM) soft robots attract considerable attentions because of distinctive immiscibility, deformability and maneuverability. However, conventional LM composites relying on alloying between LM and metallic magnetic powders suffer from diminished magnetism over time and potential safety risk upon leakage of metallic components. Herein, we report a strategy to composite inert and biocompatible iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles into eutectic gallium indium LM via reactive wetting mechanism. To address the intrinsic interfacial non-wettability between Fe3O4 and LM, a silver intermediate layer was introduced to fuse with indium component into AgxIny intermetallic compounds, facilitating the anchoring of Fe3O4 nanoparticles inside LM with improved magnetic stability. Subsequently, a miniature soft robot was constructed to perform various controllable deformation and locomotion behaviors under actuation of external magnetic field. Finally, practical feasibility of applying LM soft robot in an ex vivo porcine stomach was validated under in-situ monitoring by endoscope and X-ray imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Shen
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Dongdong Jin
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China.
| | - Mingming Fu
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Sanhu Liu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Zhiwu Xu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China
| | - Qinghua Cao
- School of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Bo Wang
- School of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, 201620, China
| | - Guoqiang Li
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wenjun Chen
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Shaoqin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China
| | - Xing Ma
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150001, China.
- Key Laboratory of Microsystems and Microstructures Manufacturing, School of Medicine and Health, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150080, China.
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8
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Truong VK, Hayles A, Bright R, Luu TQ, Dickey MD, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Vasilev K. Gallium Liquid Metal: Nanotoolbox for Antimicrobial Applications. ACS NANO 2023; 17:14406-14423. [PMID: 37506260 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c06486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
The proliferation of drug resistance in microbial pathogens poses a significant threat to human health. Hence, treatment measures are essential to surmount this growing problem. In this context, liquid metal nanoparticles are promising. Gallium, a post-transition metal notable for being a liquid at physiological temperature, has drawn attention for its distinctive properties, high antimicrobial efficacy, and low toxicity. Moreover, gallium nanoparticles demonstrate anti-inflammatory properties in immune cells. Gallium can alloy with other metals and be prepared in various composites to modify and tailor its characteristics and functionality. More importantly, the bactericidal mechanism of gallium liquid metal could sidestep the threat of emerging drug resistance mechanisms. Building on this rationale, gallium-based liquid metal nanoparticles can enable impactful and innovative strategic pathways in the battle against antimicrobial resistance. This review outlines the characteristics of gallium-based liquid metals at the nanoscale and their corresponding antimicrobial mechanisms to provide a comprehensive yet succinct overview of their current antimicrobial applications. In addition, challenges and opportunities that require further research efforts have been identified and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vi Khanh Truong
- Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Andrew Hayles
- Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Richard Bright
- Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Trong Quan Luu
- Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
| | - Michael D Dickey
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Krasimir Vasilev
- Biomedical Nanoengineering Laboratory, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042, Australia
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Dai L, Wu X, Hu Z, Hou H, Gao S, Lin Y, Yuan Z. An Oscillation System Based on a Liquid Metal Droplet and Pillars under a Direct Current Electric Field. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023. [PMID: 37377336 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Gallium-based liquid metal is a new class of material that has attracted extensive attention due to its excellent deformation characteristics and great potential in applications. Based on the deformation characteristics of liquid metal droplets, researchers have developed many oscillation systems composed of gallium indium tin alloy (GaInSn) droplet and graphite, or aluminum-doped gallium indium alloy (Al-GaIn24.5) droplet and iron, and so on. Rather than the oxidation and deoxidation mechanisms used in previous systems, an oscillation system that can achieve gallium indium alloy (EGaIn) droplet oscillation with the frequency of 0-29 Hz is designed depending on the interactions between the electric field, pillars, sodium hydroxide, and the droplet. The forces on the droplet are analyzed specifically, which have a great influence on droplet deformation. Additionally, the effects of factors such as voltage, the concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution, and droplet size on the droplet oscillation are elucidated based on the force analysis, enabling the flexible control of the oscillation frequency and amplitude of the droplet. This work provides a new perspective on the design of oscillation systems and further enhances our understanding of the deformation of gallium-based liquid metal droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyu Dai
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xiaomin Wu
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhifeng Hu
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Huimin Hou
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Sihang Gao
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yukai Lin
- Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zhiping Yuan
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Wang Y, Chang H, Rao W. Surface Oxidation and Wetting Synergistic Effect of Liquid Metals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:24003-24012. [PMID: 37150931 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c04202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Various functions of liquid metals are closely related to their surface performances, among which oxidation and wetting are the two most important surface processes. The two processes of liquid metals are inseparable in most practical applications; however, the coupling of oxidation and wetting of liquid metals has received little attention. Here, we demonstrate the synergistic effect of oxidation and wetting of liquid metals through establishing a liquid system containing the copper ion acid solution. By modulating the concentrations of copper ions and hydrogen ions, three different modes of the liquid metal surface are presented, where the oxidation process and the wetting process are in a competitive relationship. Whichever of the two processes is dominant can determine the stability of copper particles produced on the surface of liquid metals, that is, affect whether the "phagocytosis" process can occur. It is revealed that the magnitude of current density on the surface of liquid metals, caused by galvanic corrosion behavior between liquid metals and copper particles, is the key factor influencing the dominance of different surface processes of liquid metals. Utilizing the synergistic effect, we prepare a liquid metal film with adjustable reflectivity, in which surface states can be changed repeatedly between the bright state and the darken state by simple solution immersion. The liquid metal film with different surface states can show obvious difference in optical performance, which has application potential in color camouflage. Understanding the surface synergistic effect will facilitate further exploration of the abundant exotic liquid metal interface phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushu Wang
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Hao Chang
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Wei Rao
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
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Zhao B, Bai Z, Lv H, Yan Z, Du Y, Guo X, Zhang J, Wu L, Deng J, Zhang DW, Che R. Self-Healing Liquid Metal Magnetic Hydrogels for Smart Feedback Sensors and High-Performance Electromagnetic Shielding. NANO-MICRO LETTERS 2023; 15:79. [PMID: 37002442 PMCID: PMC10066054 DOI: 10.1007/s40820-023-01043-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogels exhibit potential applications in smart wearable devices because of their exceptional sensitivity to various external stimuli. However, their applications are limited by challenges in terms of issues in biocompatibility, custom shape, and self-healing. Herein, a conductive, stretchable, adaptable, self-healing, and biocompatible liquid metal GaInSn/Ni-based composite hydrogel is developed by incorporating a magnetic liquid metal into the hydrogel framework through crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with sodium tetraborate. The excellent stretchability and fast self-healing capability of the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel are derived from its abundant hydrogen binding sites and liquid metal fusion. Significantly, owing to the magnetic constituent, the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel can be guided remotely using an external magnetic field to a specific position to repair the broken wires with no need for manual operation. The composite hydrogel also exhibits sensitive deformation responses and can be used as a strain sensor to monitor various body motions. Additionally, the multifunctional hydrogel displays absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. The total shielding performance of the composite hydrogel increases to ~ 62.5 dB from ~ 31.8 dB of the pure PVA hydrogel at the thickness of 3.0 mm. The proposed bioinspired multifunctional magnetic hydrogel demonstrates substantial application potential in the field of intelligent wearable devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biao Zhao
- School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 2000433, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
- Henan Key Laboratory of Aeronautical Materials and Application Technology,, School of Material Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongyi Bai
- Key Laboratory of Separation and Processing of Symbiotic-Associated Mineral Resources in Non-Ferrous Metal Industry, School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - Hualiang Lv
- Institute of Optoelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhikai Yan
- Henan Key Laboratory of Aeronautical Materials and Application Technology,, School of Material Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiqian Du
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqin Guo
- Henan Key Laboratory of Aeronautical Materials and Application Technology,, School of Material Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou, 450046, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jincang Zhang
- Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311100, People's Republic of China
| | - Limin Wu
- Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010021, People's Republic of China
| | - Jiushuai Deng
- Key Laboratory of Separation and Processing of Symbiotic-Associated Mineral Resources in Non-Ferrous Metal Industry, School of Chemical & Environmental Engineering, China University of Mining & Technology (Beijing), Beijing, 100083, People's Republic of China
| | - David Wei Zhang
- School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 2000433, People's Republic of China
| | - Renchao Che
- School of Microelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 2000433, People's Republic of China.
- Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Shanghai Key Lab of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China.
- Zhejiang Laboratory, Hangzhou, 311100, People's Republic of China.
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12
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Bhagwat S, Goralczyk A, Luitz M, Sharieff L, Kluck S, Hamza A, Nekoonam N, Kotz-Helmer F, Pezeshkpour P, Rapp BE. In Situ Actuators with Gallium Liquid Metal Alloys and Polypyrrole-Coated Electrodes. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:10109-10122. [PMID: 36754363 PMCID: PMC9952059 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c17906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Gallium liquid metal alloys (GLMAs) such as Galinstan and gallium-indium eutectic (EGaIn) are interesting materials due to their high surface tensions, low viscosities, and electrical conductivities comparable to classical solid metals. They have been used for applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and, more recently, liquid metal microfluidics (LMMF) for setting up devices like actuators. However, their high tendency to alloy with the most common metals used for electrodes such as gold (Au), platinum (Pt), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), and tungsten-titanium (WTi) is a major problem limiting the scaleup and applicability, e.g., liquid metal actuators. Stable electrodes are key elements for many applications and thus, the lack of an electrode material compatible with GLMAs is detrimental for many potential application scenarios. In this work, we study the effect of actuating Galinstan on various solid metal electrodes and present an electrode protection methodology that, first, prevents alloying and, second, prevents electrode corrosion. We demonstrate reproducible actuation of GLMA segments in LMMF, showcasing the stability of the proposed protective coating. We investigated a range of electrode materials including Au, Pt, Ti, Ni, and WTi, all in aqueous environments, and present the resulting corrosion/alloying effects by studying the interface morphology. Our proposed protective coating is based on a simple method to electrodeposit electrically conductive polypyrrole (PPy) on the electrodes to provide a conductive alloying-barrier layer for applications involving direct contact between GLMAs and electrodes. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by direct three-dimensional (3D) printing of a 500 μm microfluidic chip on a set of electrodes onto which PPy is electrodeposited in situ for actuation of Galinstan plugs. The developed protection protocol will provide a generic, widely applicable strategy to protect a wide range of electrodes from alloying and corrosion and thus form a key element in future applications of GLMAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Bhagwat
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Goralczyk
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manuel Luitz
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lathif Sharieff
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kluck
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ahmed Hamza
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Niloofar Nekoonam
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Frederik Kotz-Helmer
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Freiburg
Materials Research Center (FMF), University
of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Straße
21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pegah Pezeshkpour
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Freiburg
Materials Research Center (FMF), University
of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Straße
21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Bastian E. Rapp
- Laboratory
of Process Technology, NeptunLab, Department of Microsystems Engineering
(IMTEK), University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
- Freiburg
Materials Research Center (FMF), University
of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Straße
21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
- FIT
Freiburg Center of Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
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13
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Chen Y, Chen X, Zhu Z, Sun M, Li S, Gan M, Tang SY, Li W, Zhang S, Sun L, Li X. 3D actuation of foam-core liquid metal droplets. SOFT MATTER 2023; 19:1293-1299. [PMID: 36524440 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm01349e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Precise manipulation of liquid metal (LM) droplets possesses the potential to enable a wide range of applications in reconfigurable electronics, robotics, and microelectromechanical systems. Although a variety of methods have been explored to actuate LM droplets on a 2D plane, versatile 3D manipulation remains a challenge due to the difficulty in overcoming their heavy weight. Here, foam-core liquid metal (FCLM) droplets that can maintain the surface properties of LM while significantly reducing the density are developed, enabling 3D manipulation in an electrolyte. The FCLM droplet is fabricated by coating LM on the surface of a copper-grafted foam sphere. The actuation of the FCLM droplet is realized by electrically inducing Marangoni flow on the LM surface. Two motion modes of the FCLM droplet are observed and studied and the actuation performance is characterized. Multiple FCLM droplets can be readily controlled to form 3D structures, demonstrating their potential to be further developed to form collaborative robots for enabling wider applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Chen
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Xuanhan Chen
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Zhenhong Zhu
- Children's Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Mingyuan Sun
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Shen Li
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Minfeng Gan
- Department of Orthopedic, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Shi-Yang Tang
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Weihua Li
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shiwu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Lining Sun
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Xiangpeng Li
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
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14
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Wang L, Yi Z, Zhao Y, Liu Y, Wang S. Stretchable conductors for stretchable field-effect transistors and functional circuits. Chem Soc Rev 2023; 52:795-835. [PMID: 36562312 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00837h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Stretchable electronics have received intense attention due to their broad application prospects in many areas, and can withstand large deformations and form close contact with curved surfaces. Stretchable conductors are vital components of stretchable electronic devices used in wearables, soft robots, and human-machine interactions. Recent advances in stretchable conductors have motivated basic scientific and technological research efforts. Here, we outline and analyse the development of stretchable conductors in transistors and circuits, and examine advances in materials, device engineering, and preparation technologies. We divide the existing approaches to constructing stretchable transistors with stretchable conductors into the following two types: geometric engineering and intrinsic stretchability engineering. Finally, we consider the challenges and outlook in this field for delivering stretchable electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangjie Wang
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China.
| | - Zhengran Yi
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China.
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China.
| | - Yunqi Liu
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China.
| | - Shuai Wang
- Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China. .,School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China.
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15
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Wang Y, Li L, Liang S, Sun K, Jiao C, Wang Q, Hu L. Liquid Metal pH Morphology Sensor Used for Biological Microenvironment Detection. Anal Chem 2022; 94:17312-17319. [PMID: 36446630 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
pH is one of the important parameters of a biological microenvironment, which is closely related to cell growth, development, vitality, division, and differentiation. Monitoring the pH of a microenvironment is helpful to monitor the cell metabolism as well as to understand the cellular life cycle. The sensitivity of liquid metals (LMs) to hydrogen ions has aroused our interest. Here, we propose a novel but facile pH sensor using liquid gallium (LM for short) droplet morphological change as the readout. The pH sensing characteristics of the LM droplet were examined, especially the shape response. LM can form solid native oxide skin rapidly in oxygenated solution, and the oxide layer will be removed in acidic or alkaline solutions, which will cause a great change in surface tension. The phenomenon is the change of LM morphology from macroscopic observation. We explored the electrochemical characteristics of LM at different pH values, explained the mechanism of surface change, and calibrated the relationship curve between LM morphology and pH and the interference of impurity ions on the sensor. Finally, we proposed a detection algorithm for the LM pH morphology sensor and tried to automatically detect pH with a mobile app, which was applied to the pH detection of cell culture solution. We believe that the response characteristics of LM to hydrogen ions have great potential in microenvironment detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Liangtao Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Shuting Liang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Kang Sun
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Caicai Jiao
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
| | - Liang Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing100191, China
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16
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Active Colloids on Fluid Interfaces. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2022.101629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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17
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Chen B, Wang P, Zhang N, Li K, Zhang K, Liu S, Xu J, Sun Z. GaInSn liquid nanospheres as a saturable absorber for Q-switched pulse generation at 639 nm. OPTICS EXPRESS 2022; 30:28242-28249. [PMID: 36236976 DOI: 10.1364/oe.467944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Liquid metals, which possess the superiority of low cost, shape-reconfigurability, and excellent optoelectronic properties, have been applied in various fields, such as flexible electronics, superconductivity, and coolants. In this paper, high-quality GaInSn liquid nanospheres synthesized by the ultrasonic method are applied for nonlinear optics and laser switches. The saturation absorption property derived from localized surface plasmon resonance at 639 nm is studied based on the open-aperture Z-scan technique, exhibiting a modulation depth of ∼35.5% and a saturation fluence of ∼21.75 mJ/cm2, respectively. The as-prepared GaInSn liquid nanospheres are also successfully utilized as a saturable absorber to achieve a stable Q-switched Pr:YLF laser at 639 nm. The output pulse width can reach ∼280 ns with a pulse repetition rate of ∼174.8 kHz. Our results suggest that GaInSn liquid nanospheres are a candidate material for generating visible laser pulses, which is of great interest for potential applications in visible nonlinear optics.
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18
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Duan M, Zhu X, Shan X, Wang H, Chen S, Liu J. Responsive Liquid Metal Droplets: From Bulk to Nano. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:1289. [PMID: 35457997 PMCID: PMC9026530 DOI: 10.3390/nano12081289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Droplets exist widely in nature and play an extremely important role in a broad variety of industrial processes. Typical droplets, including water and oil droplets, have received extensive attention and research, however their single properties still cannot meet diverse needs. Fortunately, liquid metal droplets emerging in recent years possess outstanding properties, including large surface tension, excellent electrical and thermal conductivity, convenient chemical processing, easy transition between liquid and solid phase state, and large-scale deformability, etc. More interestingly, liquid metal droplets with unique features can respond to external factors, including the electronic field, magnetic field, acoustic field, chemical field, temperature, and light, exhibiting extraordinary intelligent response characteristics. Their development over the past decade has brought substantial breakthroughs and progress. To better promote the advancement of this field, the present article is devoted to systematically summarizing and analyzing the recent fundamental progress of responsive liquid metal droplets, not only involving droplet characteristics and preparation methods, but also focusing on their diverse response behaviors and mechanisms. On this basis, the challenges and prospects related to the following development of liquid metal droplets are also proposed. In the future, responsive liquid metal droplets with a rapid development trend are expected to play a key role in soft robots, biomedicine, smart matter, and a variety of other fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minghui Duan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Xiyu Zhu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Xiaohui Shan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Hongzhang Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Sen Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
| | - Jing Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; (M.D.); (X.Z.); (X.S.); (H.W.)
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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19
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Aukarasereenont P, Goff A, Nguyen CK, McConville CF, Elbourne A, Zavabeti A, Daeneke T. Liquid metals: an ideal platform for the synthesis of two-dimensional materials. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:1253-1276. [PMID: 35107468 DOI: 10.1039/d1cs01166a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The surfaces of liquid metals can serve as a platform to synthesise two-dimensional materials. By exploiting the self-limiting Cabrera-Mott oxidation reaction that takes place at the surface of liquid metals exposed to ambient air, an ultrathin oxide layer can be synthesised and isolated. Several synthesis approaches based on this phenomenon have been developed in recent years, resulting in a diverse family of functional 2D materials that covers a significant fraction of the periodic table. These straightforward and inherently scalable techniques may enable the fabrication of novel devices and thus harbour significant application potential. This review provides a brief introduction to liquid metals and their alloys, followed by detailed guidance on each developed synthesis technique, post-growth processing methods, integration processes, as well as potential applications of the developed materials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abigail Goff
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia.
| | - Chung Kim Nguyen
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia.
| | - Chris F McConville
- Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, 3216, Australia
| | - Aaron Elbourne
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Ali Zavabeti
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Torben Daeneke
- School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia.
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20
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Song CL, Tao Y, Liu WY, Chen YC, Xue R, Jiang TY, Li B, Jiang HY, Ren YK. Fluid pumping by liquid metal droplet utilizing ac electric field. Phys Rev E 2022; 105:025102. [PMID: 35291076 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.105.025102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We report a unique phenomenon in which liquid metal droplets (LMDs) under a pure ac electric field pump fluid. Unlike the directional pumping that occurs upon reversing the electric field polarity under a dc signal, this phenomenon allows the direction of fluid motion to be switched by simply shifting the position of the LMD within the cylindrical chamber. The physical mechanism behind this phenomenon has been termed Marangoni flow, caused by nonlinear electrocapillary stress. Under the influence of a localized, asymmetric ac electric field, the polarizable surface of the position-offset LMD produces a net time-averaged interfacial tension gradient that scales with twice the field strength, and thus pumps fluid unidirectionally. However, the traditional linear RC circuit polarization model of the LMD/electrolyte interface fails to capture the correct pump-flow direction when the thickness of the LMD oxide skin is non-negligible compared to the Debye length. Therefore, we developed a physical description by treating the oxide layer as a distributed capacitance with variable thickness and connected with the electric double layer. The flow profile is visualized via microparticle imaging velocimetry, and excellent consistency is found with simulation results obtained from the proposed nonlinear model. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of relevant parameters on fluid pumping and discuss a special phenomenon that does not exist in dc control systems. To our knowledge, no previous work addresses LMDs in this manner and uses a zero-mean ac electric field to achieve stable, adjustable directional pumping of a low-conductivity solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Lei Song
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Ye Tao
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Wei-Yu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710000, China
| | - Yi-Cheng Chen
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Rui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Tian-Yi Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Biao Li
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Hong-Yuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
| | - Yu-Kun Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
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21
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Peculiar encounter between self-propelled droplet and static droplet: swallow, rerouting, and recoil. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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22
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Ni E, Lu K, Song L, Jiang Y, Li H. Regular Self-Actuation of Liquid Metal Nanodroplets in Radial Texture Gradient Surfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:13654-13663. [PMID: 34747618 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid metal movement in microfluidic devices generally requires an external stimulus to achieve its motion, which results in many difficulties to precisely manipulate its motion at a nanoscale. Therefore, there is an attempt to control the motion of a liquid metal droplet without the input of an external force. In this paper, we report an approach to achieve the self-actuation of a gallium nanodroplet in radial texture gradients on substrates. The results have proved the validity of this method. It is suggested that there are four stages in the self-motion of the droplet and that the precursor film forming on the second stage plays a pivotal role in the motion. Furthermore, how the impact velocity affects the self-actuation of the nanodroplet on the gradient surface is also studied. We find that the moderate impacting velocity hinders the self-actuation of the gallium nanodroplet. This study is very helpful to regulate the self-actuation on patterned substrates and facilitate their applications in the fields of microfluidics devices, soft robots, and liquid sensors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erli Ni
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Kaida Lu
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
| | - Lin Song
- State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
| | - Yanyan Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute of Shandong University, Shenzhen 518057, China
| | - Hui Li
- Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
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23
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Ren H, Jin H, Shu J, Xie J, Wang E, Ge DA, Tang SY, Li X, Li W, Zhang S. Light-controlled versatile manipulation of liquid metal droplets: a gateway to future liquid robots. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2021; 8:3063-3071. [PMID: 34747959 DOI: 10.1039/d1mh00647a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The controlled actuation of liquid metal (LM) droplets has recently shown great potential in developing smart actuating systems for applications in robotics. However, there is a lack of a simple approach for the precise manipulation of multiple LM droplets in a 2D plane, which hinders the development of complex control over droplets for realizing useful robotic applications. To overcome this challenge, here, a versatile and powerful light-induced manipulation of LM droplets is presented. The key principle is to selectively activate phototransistors in an electrolyte using infrared laser beams to electrically control LM droplets via Marangoni forces. This approach shows the ability of inducing concurrent motion, splitting, and merging of multiple LM droplets simply using light without complex and bulky systems. Parameters affecting the manipulation of LM droplets are thoroughly investigated. Moreover, a vehicle carrier driven by wheels composed of multiple LM droplets for making a light-controlled relay is demonstrated. We believe such a light-induced control method for manipulating LM droplets has the potential for advancing the development of future field-programmable robotics and droplet-based soft collaborative robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongtai Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Hu Jin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Jian Shu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Jie Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Erlong Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Du-An Ge
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
| | - Shi-Yang Tang
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Xiangpeng Li
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China.
| | - Weihua Li
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shiwu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.
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24
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Ye J, Tan SC, Wang L, Liu J. A new hydrodynamic interpretation of liquid metal droplet motion induced by an electrocapillary phenomenon. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:7835-7843. [PMID: 34612351 DOI: 10.1039/d1sm00873k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Marangoni effect, induced by the surface tension gradient resulting from the gradient of temperature, concentration, or electric potential gradient along a surface, is commonly utilized to manipulate a droplet. It is also the reason for unique behaviors of liquid metal such as moving, breathing, and large-scale deformation under an electric field, which have aroused tremendous interest in academics. However, liquid metal droplets are usually treated as solid marbles, which neglect their fluidic features and can hardly explain some unusual phenomena, such as a droplet under a stationary electric field that moves in the opposite direction in different solutions. To better clarify these discrepancies, this study reveals that the movement of liquid metal is directly driven by viscous forces of solution rather than interfacial tension. This mechanism was determined by analyzing flow characteristics on a liquid metal surface. Additionally, experiments with liquid metal free falling in solution, liquid metal droplet movement experiments on substrates with different roughness, and liquid metal droplet movement experiments under high current density were additionally conducted to verify the theoretical interpretation. This research is instrumental for a greater understanding of the movement of liquid metal under an electric field and lays the foundation for the applications of liquid metal droplets in pumping, fluid mixing, and many other microfluidic fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Ye
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China.
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25
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Lu H, Yun G, Cole T, Ouyang Y, Ren H, Shu J, Zhang Y, Zhang S, Dickey MD, Li W, Tang SY. Reversible Underwater Adhesion for Soft Robotic Feet by Leveraging Electrochemically Tunable Liquid Metal Interfaces. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:37904-37914. [PMID: 34319083 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c09776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Soft crawling robots have potential applications for surveillance, rescue, and detection in complex environments. Despite this, most existing soft crawling robots either use nonadjustable feet to passively induce asymmetry in friction to actuate or are only capable of moving on surfaces with specific designs. Thus, robots often lack the ability to move along arbitrary directions in a two-dimensional (2D) plane or in unpredictable environments such as wet surfaces. Here, leveraging the electrochemically tunable interfaces of liquid metal, we report the development of liquid metal smart feet (LMSF) that enable electrical control of friction for achieving versatile actuation of prismatic crawling robots on wet slippery surfaces. The functionality of the LMSF is examined on crawling robots with soft or rigid actuators. Parameters that affect the performance of the LMSF are investigated. The robots with the LMSF prove capable of actuating across different surfaces in various solutions. Demonstration of 2D locomotion of crawling robots along arbitrary directions validates the versatility and reliability of the LMSF, suggesting broad utility in the development of advanced soft robotic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongda Lu
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Guolin Yun
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Tim Cole
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Yiming Ouyang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Hongtai Ren
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jian Shu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yuxin Zhang
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Shiwu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Michael D Dickey
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Weihua Li
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Shi-Yang Tang
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
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26
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Liu Q, Meng S, Zheng T, Liu Y, Ma X, Feng H. Alkaline-Driven Liquid Metal Janus Micromotor with a Coating Material-Dependent Propulsion Mechanism. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:35897-35904. [PMID: 34296849 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c07288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Micro/nanomotors have achieved huge progress in driving power divergence and accurate maneuver manipulations in the last two decades. However, there are still several obstacles to the potential biomedical applications, with respect to their biotoxicity and biocompatibility. Gallium- and indium-based liquid metal (LM) alloys are outstanding candidates for solving these issues due to their good biocompatibility and low biotoxicity. Hereby, we fabricate LM Janus micromotors (LMJMs) through ultrasonically dispersing GaInSn LM into microparticles and sputtering different materials as demanded to tune their moving performance. These LMJMs can move in alkaline solution due to the reaction between Ga and NaOH. There are two driving mechanisms when sputtering materials are metallic or nonmetallic. One is self-electrophoresis when sputtering materials are metallic, and the other one is self-diffusiophoresis when sputtering materials are nonmetallic. Our LMJMs can flip between those two modes by varying the deposited materials. The self-electrophoresis-driven LMJMs' moving speed is much faster than the self-diffusiophoresis-driven LMJMs' speed. The reason is that the former occurs galvanic corrosion reaction, while the latter is correlated to chemical corrosion reaction. The switching of the driving mechanism of the LMJMs can be used to fit into different biochemical application scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Liu
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Shuaishuai Meng
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Tingting Zheng
- Peking University Shenzhen Hospital & Biomedical Research Institute, Shenzhen-PKU-HKUST Medical Center, Shenzhen 518036, China
| | - Yaming Liu
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xing Ma
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Huanhuan Feng
- Sauvage Laboratory for Smart Materials, Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
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27
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Xue R, Tao Y, Sun H, Liu W, Ge Z, Jiang T, Jiang H, Han F, Li Y, Ren Y. Small universal mechanical module driven by a liquid metal droplet. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:2771-2780. [PMID: 34047740 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00206f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Gallium-based liquid metal droplets (LMDs) from micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) have gained much attention due to their precise and sensitive controllability under an electric field. Considerable research progress has been made in the field of actuators by taking advantage of the continuous electrowetting (CEW) present within the solution. However, the motion generated is confined within the specific liquid environment and is lacking a way to transmit its motion outwardly, which undoubtedly serves as the greatest obstacle restricting any further development. Therefore, a driving module is proposed to generate rotational motion outside the solution for universality. Its performance can be easily tuned by adjusting the applied voltage. As an example of further application, the module is designed in the form of a pump that realizes the continuous/intermittent propulsion to mimic the veins/arteries of the human body without the problem in the previous LMD-based pumps. The feasibility of this pump in the on-chip in vitro analysis is proved by preparing a dynamic cell culture to simulate the movement of biofluids within human bodies. This study proposes an optional solution with an LMD-based motor for generating rotational motion and to expand current research on soft materials in actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xue
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Ye Tao
- School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Department of Physics Harvard University, 9 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Haoxiu Sun
- School of Life Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 2 Yikuang Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weiyu Liu
- School of Electronics and Control Engineering, Chang'an University, Middle-Section of Nan'er Huan Road, Xi'an 710064, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenyou Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Tianyi Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongyuan Jiang
- School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China
| | - Fang Han
- School of Life Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 2 Yikuang Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yu Li
- School of Life Sciences, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 2 Yikuang Street, Harbin 150001, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yukun Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, West Da-zhi Street 92, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, People's Republic of China.
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28
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Tan YJ, Susanto GJ, Anwar Ali HP, Tee BCK. Progress and Roadmap for Intelligent Self-Healing Materials in Autonomous Robotics. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2002800. [PMID: 33346389 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Robots are increasingly assisting humans in performing various tasks. Like special agents with elite skills, they can venture to distant locations and adverse environments, such as the deep sea and outer space. Micro/nanobots can also act as intrabody agents for healthcare applications. Self-healing materials that can autonomously perform repair functions are useful to address the unpredictability of the environment and the increasing drive toward the autonomous operation. Having self-healable robotic materials can potentially reduce costs, electronic wastes, and improve a robot endowed with such materials longevity. This review aims to serve as a roadmap driven by past advances and inspire future cross-disciplinary research in robotic materials and electronics. By first charting the history of self-healing materials, new avenues are provided to classify the various self-healing materials proposed over several decades. The materials and strategies for self-healing in robotics and stretchable electronics are also reviewed and discussed. It is believed that this article encourages further innovation in this exciting and emerging branch in robotics interfacing with material science and electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Jun Tan
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
- Institute of Innovation in Health Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore
| | - Glenys Jocelin Susanto
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Hashina Parveen Anwar Ali
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
| | - Benjamin C K Tee
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore
- Institute of Innovation in Health Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Singapore
- Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117583, Singapore
- N.1 Institute of Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, Agency for Science Technology and Research, Singapore, 138634, Singapore
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29
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Liu L, Wang D, Rao W. Mini/Micro/Nano Scale Liquid Metal Motors. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:280. [PMID: 33800226 PMCID: PMC8001611 DOI: 10.3390/mi12030280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Swimming motors navigating in complex fluidic environments have received tremendous attention over the last decade. In particular, liquid metal (LM) as a new emerging material has shown considerable potential in furthering the development of swimming motors, due to their unique features such as fluidity, softness, reconfigurability, stimuli responsiveness, and good biocompatibility. LM motors can not only achieve directional motion but also deformation due to their liquid nature, thus providing new and unique capabilities to the field of swimming motors. This review aims to provide an overview of the recent advances of LM motors and compare the difference in LM macro and micromotors from fabrication, propulsion, and application. Here, LM motors below 1 cm, named mini/micro/nano scale liquid metal motors (MLMTs) will be discussed. This work will present physicochemical characteristics of LMs and summarize the state-of-the-art progress in MLMTs. Finally, future outlooks including both opportunities and challenges of mini/micro/nano scale liquid metal motors are also provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (L.L.); (D.W.)
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Dawei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (L.L.); (D.W.)
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Rao
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; (L.L.); (D.W.)
- Beijing Key Lab of CryoBiomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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30
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Chen S, Deng Z, Liu J. High performance liquid metal thermal interface materials. NANOTECHNOLOGY 2021; 32:092001. [PMID: 33207322 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/abcbc2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Conventional thermal interface materials (TIMs) as widely used in thermal management area is inherently limited by their relatively low thermal conductivity. From an alternative, the newly emerging liquid metal based thermal interface materials (LM-TIMs) open a rather promising way, which can pronouncedly improve the thermal contact resistance and offers tremendous opportunities for making powerful thermal management materials. The LM-TIMs thus prepared exhibits superior thermal conductivity over many conventional TIMs which guarantees its significant application prospect. And the nanoparticles mediated or tuned liquid metal further enable ever conductive LM-TIMs which suggests the ultimate goal of thermal management. In this review, a systematic interpretation on the basic features of LM-TIMs was presented. Representative exploration and progress on LM-TIMs were summarized. Typical approaches toward nanotechnology enhanced high performance LM-TIMs were illustrated. The perspect of this new generation thermal management material were outlined. Some involved challenges were raised. This work is expected to provide a guide line for future research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Chen
- Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhongshan Deng
- Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Liu
- Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
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31
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Liao J, Majidi C. Soft actuators by electrochemical oxidation of liquid metal surfaces. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:1921-1928. [PMID: 33427274 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01851a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The surface energy of liquid metals can be electrochemically controlled over a wide range of values - from near zero to 500 mJ m-2- using a low voltage potential (∼1 V). This enables the ability to create soft-matter actuators that exhibit a high work density on small scales. We demonstrate that a liquid metal (LM) meniscus wetted between two copper pads can function as an electrochemical soft actuator whose force and shape are controllable by tuning the LM surface energy. Energy minimization models are presented in order to predict the actuator performance as a function of LM droplet and Cu pad dimensions. The results suggest that the electrochemical LM actuator has a unique combination of high work density, biologically-relevant activation frequency, and low operational voltage that stands out from other classes of soft-matter actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiahe Liao
- The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
| | - Carmel Majidi
- The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. and Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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32
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Lu Y, Che Z, Sun F, Chen S, Zhou H, Zhang P, Yu Y, Sheng L, Liu J. Mussel-Inspired Multifunctional Integrated Liquid Metal-Based Magnetic Suspensions with Rheological, Magnetic, Electrical, and Thermal Reinforcement. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:5256-5265. [PMID: 33464039 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c20485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Magnetic liquid metal is regarded as a promising material due to its integration of fluidic, metallic, and magnetic properties simultaneously. Previously, few methods of fabricating magnetic liquid metal have been proposed. However, either the alloying reaction inside the matrix or the poor performance in electrical and thermal conduction is troublesome in practical applications. Here, inspired by the mussel in nature, polydopamine is introduced to in situ reduce and immobilize silver shells on the surface of iron particles, and then the modified particles mix with liquid metal to prepare liquid metal-based magnetic suspensions (LMMSs). The silver shells can prevent iron particles from alloying with liquid metal and enhance the electrical and thermal conductivities of the LMMS concurrently. Besides, the LMMS thus obtained can keep its magnetism intact for a long period, at least during the 60 days of the test. Compared to directly mixing bare iron particles with liquid metal, the maximum electrical conductivities increase by at least 13.69% and the thermal conductivities increase by almost 4 times in the LMMS. The LMMS also exhibits potential applications in patterning and magnetic manipulation. This work puts forward a new strategy for preparing a LMMS with appealing properties and its broad applications are expected in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongyu Lu
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cyro-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- School of Engineering Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhanxun Che
- Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Fangyuan Sun
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Sen Chen
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cyro-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - He Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Pengju Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cyro-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Yang Yu
- Beijing DREAM INK Technologies Company, Ltd., Beijing 100084, China
| | - Lei Sheng
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cyro-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Cryogenics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Cyro-Biomedical Engineering, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
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33
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Abstract
Field-assisted self-assembly, motion, and manipulation of droplets have gained much attention in the past decades. We exhibit an electric field manipulation of the motion of a liquid metal (mercury) droplet submerged in a conductive liquid medium (a solution of sulfuric acid). A mercury droplet moves toward the cathode and its path selection is always given by the steepest descent of the local electric field potential. Utilizing this unique behavior, we present several examples of droplet motions, including maze solving, electro-levitation, and motion on a diverted path between parallel electrodes by controlling the conductivity of the medium. We also present an experimental demonstration of Fermat's principle in a non-optical system, namely a mercury droplet moving along a refracted path between electrodes in a domain having two different conductivities.
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34
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Liu Y, Zhang W, Wang H. Synthesis and application of core-shell liquid metal particles: a perspective of surface engineering. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2021; 8:56-77. [PMID: 34821290 DOI: 10.1039/d0mh01117g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Liquid metal micro/nano particles (LMPs) from gallium and its alloys have attracted tremendous attention in the last decade due to the unique combination of their metallic and fluidic properties at relatively low temperatures. Unfortunately, there is limited success so far in realizing the highly controllable fabrication and functionalization of this emerging material, posing great obstacles to further promoting its fundamental and applied studies. This review aims to explore solutions for the on-demand design and manipulation of LMPs through physicochemically engineering their surface microenvironment, including compositions, structures, and properties, which are featured by the encapsulation of LMPs inside a variety of synthetic shell architectures. These heterophase, core-shell liquid metal composites display adjustable size and structure-property relationships, rendering improved performances in several attractive scenarios including but not limited to soft electronics, nano/biomedicine, catalysis, and energy storage/conversion. Challenges and opportunities regarding this burgeoning field are also disclosed at the end of this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for NanoScience and Technology, No. 11 Zhongguancun Beiyitiao, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
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35
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Mayyas M, Mousavi M, Ghasemian MB, Abbasi R, Li H, Christoe MJ, Han J, Wang Y, Zhang C, Rahim MA, Tang J, Yang J, Esrafilzadeh D, Jalili R, Allioux FM, O'Mullane AP, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Pulsing Liquid Alloys for Nanomaterials Synthesis. ACS NANO 2020; 14:14070-14079. [PMID: 32916049 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Although it remains unexplored, the direct synthesis and expulsion of metals from alloys can offer many opportunities. Here, such a phenomenon is realized electrochemically by applying a polarizing voltage signal to liquid alloys. The signal induces an abrupt interfacial perturbation at the Ga-based liquid alloy surface and results in an unrestrained discharge of minority elements, such as Sn, In, and Zn, from the liquid alloy. We show that this can occur by either changing the surface tension or inducing a reversible redox reaction at the alloys' interface. The expelled metals exhibit nanosized and porous morphologies, and depending on the cell electrochemistry, these metals can be passivated with oxide layers or fully oxidized into distinct nanostructures. The proposed concept of metal expulsion from liquid alloys can be extended to a wide variety of molten metals for producing metallic and metallic compound nanostructures for advanced applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohannad Mayyas
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Maedehsadat Mousavi
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Mohammad B Ghasemian
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Roozbeh Abbasi
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Hongzhe Li
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Michael J Christoe
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jialuo Han
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Yifang Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Chengchen Zhang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Md Arifur Rahim
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jianbo Tang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jiong Yang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Dorna Esrafilzadeh
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales Sydney (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2031, Australia
| | - Rouhollah Jalili
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Francois-Marie Allioux
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Anthony P O'Mullane
- School of Chemistry and Physics, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
| | - Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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36
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Toyota T, Sugiyama H, Hiroi S, Ito H, Kitahata H. Chemically artificial rovers based on self-propelled droplets in micrometer-scale environment. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cocis.2020.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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37
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Li X, Li S, Lu Y, Liu M, Li F, Yang H, Tang SY, Zhang S, Li W, Sun L. Programmable Digital Liquid Metal Droplets in Reconfigurable Magnetic Fields. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:37670-37679. [PMID: 32700519 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c08179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Gallium-based liquid metals exhibit excellent locomotion and deformation capabilities under external stimuli and has potential in developing intelligent robots. Programing the locomotion and morphology of the Liquid metal (LM) to endow it with functionalities and intelligence as robots is charming but remains challenging. In this study, we develop a programmable digital LM (PDLM) control platform that can realize versatile locomotion and morphological manipulation of magnetic LM (MLM) droplets using arrays of electromagnets. We demonstrate on-demand transportation, deformation, breakup, and merging of multiple MLM droplets simultaneously and precisely. We find that the intriguing behaviors of MLM under a magnetic field are due to the interplay of surface tension and magnetic forces. Furthermore, we present a functional cooperative droplet robot by equipping the MLM droplets with three-dimensionally printed microtool modules. We show that both the position and orientation of a rod-shaped object can be precisely manipulated by the cooperation of the MLM droplet robots. More interestingly, we explore the capability of the MLM droplet robots for cooperatively handling a copper wire to connect and disconnect electronic circuits. Finally, we demonstrate that the PDLM control platform is capable of programing a group of MLM droplets to accomplish a digital display task. We believe that the PDLM control system presents a promising potential in developing LM-based reconfigurable circuits, digital display systems, and biomimetic soft robotic systems with high controllability, multifunctionalities, and intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangpeng Li
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Shen Li
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Yangming Lu
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Maze Liu
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Fangxia Li
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Hao Yang
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
| | - Shi-Yang Tang
- Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K
| | - Shiwu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and Design of Materials, Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Weihua Li
- School of Mechanical, Materials, Mechatronic and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
| | - Lining Sun
- Robotics and Microsystems Center, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
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38
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Han J, Tang J, Idrus-Saidi SA, Christoe MJ, O'Mullane AP, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Exploring Electrochemical Extrusion of Wires from Liquid Metals. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:31010-31020. [PMID: 32545950 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c07697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Metal melt extrusion in gaseous or vacuum environments is a classical approach for forming wires. However, such extrusions have not been investigated in ionic solutions. Here, we use liquid metal (LM) gallium (Ga) and its eutectic alloy with indium (EGaIn) to explore the possibility of electrochemical extrusion of wires and study the tuning of the self-liming oxide layers as the coating for these wires formed during the process. By controlling the surface tension of the LM immersed in an electrolyte, and through the electrocapillary effect, we enable the extrusion of LM wires. The surface morphologies of LM wires and the thickness of the oxide layers are investigated when Ga and EGaIn are processed in neutral and basic electrolytes using various voltages. Taking advantage of the LM oxides, we show that LM wires offer tunable surface oxide thickness and composition using the electrochemical system and investigate the related working mechanisms. The wires are formed into patterns using an automated stage and show a self-healing capability. This work presents an unconventional method for electrochemical fabrication of LM wires, offering prospects for further research and industrial scale-up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jialuo Han
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jianbo Tang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Shuhada A Idrus-Saidi
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Michael J Christoe
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Anthony P O'Mullane
- School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia
| | - Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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39
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Mayyas M, Li H, Kumar P, Ghasemian MB, Yang J, Wang Y, Lawes DJ, Han J, Saborio MG, Tang J, Jalili R, Lee SH, Seong WK, Russo SP, Esrafilzadeh D, Daeneke T, Kaner RB, Ruoff RS, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Liquid-Metal-Templated Synthesis of 2D Graphitic Materials at Room Temperature. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2020; 32:e2001997. [PMID: 32510699 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202001997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Room-temperature synthesis of 2D graphitic materials (2D-GMs) remains an elusive aim, especially with electrochemical means. Here, it is shown that liquid metals render this possible as they offer catalytic activity and an ultrasmooth templating interface that promotes Frank-van der Merwe regime growth, while allowing facile exfoliation due to the absence of interfacial forces as a nonpolar liquid. The 2D-GMs are formed at low onset potential and can be in situ doped depending on the choice of organic precursors and the electrochemical set-up. The materials are tuned to exhibit porous or pinhole-free morphologies and are engineered for their degree of oxidation and number of layers. The proposed liquid-metal-based room-temperature electrochemical route can be expanded to many other 2D materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohannad Mayyas
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Hongzhe Li
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Priyank Kumar
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Mohammad B Ghasemian
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Jiong Yang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Yifang Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Douglas J Lawes
- Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Jialuo Han
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Maricruz G Saborio
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Jianbo Tang
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Rouhollah Jalili
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
| | - Sun Hwa Lee
- Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Won Kyung Seong
- Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Salvy P Russo
- School of Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, 3001, Australia
| | - Dorna Esrafilzadeh
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2031, Australia
| | - Torben Daeneke
- School of Engineering, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, 3001, Australia
| | - Richard B Kaner
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Rodney S Ruoff
- Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
- School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Ulsan, 44919, Republic of Korea
| | - Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
- School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, 2052, Australia
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40
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Lin Y, Genzer J, Dickey MD. Attributes, Fabrication, and Applications of Gallium-Based Liquid Metal Particles. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:2000192. [PMID: 32596120 PMCID: PMC7312306 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202000192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
This work discusses the attributes, fabrication methods, and applications of gallium-based liquid metal particles. Gallium-based liquid metals combine metallic and fluidic properties at room temperature. Unlike mercury, which is toxic and has a finite vapor pressure, gallium possesses low toxicity and effectively zero vapor pressure at room temperature, which makes it amenable to many applications. A variety of fabrication methods produce liquid metal particles with variable sizes, ranging from nm to mm (which is the upper limit set by the capillary length). The liquid nature of gallium enables fabrication methods-such as microfluidics and sonication-that are not possible with solid materials. Gallium-based liquid metal particles possess several notable attributes, including a metal-metal oxide (liquid-solid) core-shell structure as well as the ability to self-heal, merge, and change shape. They also have unusual phase behavior that depends on the size of the particles. The particles have no known commercial applications, but they show promise for drug delivery, soft electronics, microfluidics, catalysis, batteries, energy harvesting, and composites. Existing challenges and future opportunities are discussed herein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiliang Lin
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNC27695‐7905USA
| | - Jan Genzer
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNC27695‐7905USA
| | - Michael D. Dickey
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleighNC27695‐7905USA
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41
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Zhu L, Wang B, Handschuh-Wang S, Zhou X. Liquid Metal-Based Soft Microfluidics. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2020; 16:e1903841. [PMID: 31573755 DOI: 10.1002/smll.201903841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Motivated by the increasing demand of wearable and soft electronics, liquid metal (LM)-based microfluidics has been subjected to tremendous development in the past decade, especially in electronics, robotics, and related fields, due to the unique advantages of LMs that combines the conductivity and deformability all-in-one. LMs can be integrated as the core component into microfluidic systems in the form of either droplets/marbles or composites embedded by polymer materials with isotropic and anisotropic distribution. The LM microfluidic systems are found to have broad applications in deformable antennas, soft diodes, biomedical sensing chips, transient circuits, mechanically adaptive materials, etc. Herein, the recent progress in the development of LM-based microfluidics and their potential applications are summarized. The current challenges toward industrial applications and future research orientation of this field are also summarized and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lifei Zhu
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
- Guangdong Laboratory of ArtificialIntelligence and Digital Economy (SZ), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
| | - Ben Wang
- Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Stephan Handschuh-Wang
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
| | - Xuechang Zhou
- College of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
- Guangdong Laboratory of ArtificialIntelligence and Digital Economy (SZ), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518055, P. R. China
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42
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Elbourne A, Cheeseman S, Atkin P, Truong NP, Syed N, Zavabeti A, Mohiuddin M, Esrafilzadeh D, Cozzolino D, McConville CF, Dickey MD, Crawford RJ, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Chapman J, Daeneke T, Truong VK. Antibacterial Liquid Metals: Biofilm Treatment via Magnetic Activation. ACS NANO 2020; 14:802-817. [PMID: 31922722 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b07861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Antibiotic resistance has made the treatment of biofilm-related infections challenging. As such, the quest for next-generation antimicrobial technologies must focus on targeted therapies to which pathogenic bacteria cannot develop resistance. Stimuli-responsive therapies represent an alternative technological focus due to their capability of delivering targeted treatment. This study provides a proof-of-concept investigation into the use of magneto-responsive gallium-based liquid metal (LM) droplets as antibacterial materials, which can physically damage, disintegrate, and kill pathogens within a mature biofilm. Once exposed to a low-intensity rotating magnetic field, the LM droplets become physically actuated and transform their shape, developing sharp edges. When placed in contact with a bacterial biofilm, the movement of the particles resulting from the magnetic field, coupled with the presence of nanosharp edges, physically ruptures the bacterial cells and the dense biofilm matrix is broken down. The antibacterial efficacy of the magnetically activated LM particles was assessed against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial biofilms. After 90 min over 99% of both bacterial species became nonviable, and the destruction of the biofilms was observed. These results will impact the design of next-generation, LM-based biofilm treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Elbourne
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Nanobiotechnology Laboratory , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Samuel Cheeseman
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Nanobiotechnology Laboratory , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Paul Atkin
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- CSIRO Australia , Private Bag 33, Clayton South MDC , Clayton , Victoria 3169 , Australia
| | - Nghia P Truong
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology, Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Monash University , 399 Royal Parade , Parkville , Victoria 3152 , Australia
| | - Nitu Syed
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Ali Zavabeti
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Md Mohiuddin
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Dorna Esrafilzadeh
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - Daniel Cozzolino
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Chris F McConville
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Michael D Dickey
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , North Carolina 27695 , United States
| | - Russell J Crawford
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Nanobiotechnology Laboratory , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
- School of Chemical Engineering , University of New South Wales (UNSW) , Kensington , NSW 2052 , Australia
| | - James Chapman
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Nanobiotechnology Laboratory , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Torben Daeneke
- School of Engineering, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
| | - Vi Khanh Truong
- School of Science, College of Science, Engineering and Health , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
- Nanobiotechnology Laboratory , RMIT University , Melbourne , Victoria 3001 , Australia
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43
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Wang Y, Duan W, Zhou C, Liu Q, Gu J, Ye H, Li M, Wang W, Ma X. Phoretic Liquid Metal Micro/Nanomotors as Intelligent Filler for Targeted Microwelding. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2019; 31:e1905067. [PMID: 31664739 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201905067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Micro/nanomotors (MNMs) have emerged as active micro/nanoplatforms that can move and perform functions at small scales. Much of their success, however, hinges on the use of functional properties of new materials. Liquid metals (LMs), due to their good electrical conductivity, biocompatibility, and flexibility, have attracted considerable attentions in the fields of flexible electronics, biomedicine, and soft robotics. The design and construction of LM-based motors is therefore a research topic with tremendous prospects, however current approaches are mostly limited to macroscales. Here, the fabrication of an LM-MNM (made of Galinstan, a gallium-indium-tin alloy) is reported and its potential application as an on-demand, self-targeting welding filler is demonstrated. These LM-MNMs (as small as a few hundred nanometers) are half-coated with a thin layer of platinum (Pt) and move in H2 O2 via self-electrophoresis. In addition, the LM-MNMs roaming in a silver nanowire network can move along the nanowires and accumulate at the contact junctions where they become fluidic and achieve junction microwelding at room temperature by reacting with acid vapor. This work presents an intelligent and soft nanorobot capable of repairing circuits by welding at small scales, thus extending the pool of available self-propelled MNMs and introducing new applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wendi Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Chao Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Qing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Jiahui Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Heng Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Mingyu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Xing Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Welding and Joining (Shenzhen) and Flexible Printed Electronic Technology Center, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, 518055, China
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44
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Novel Platform for Droplet Detection and Size Measurement Using Microstrip Transmission Lines. SENSORS 2019; 19:s19235216. [PMID: 31795086 PMCID: PMC6928822 DOI: 10.3390/s19235216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
We propose a novel platform for detecting as well as measuring the size of individual droplets in microfluidic channels using microstrip transmission lines. The most outstanding feature of our platform is that, as opposed to previous related works, its design allows for the droplet to flow in a microfluidic channel fabricated between the top strip and the ground plane of a microstrip transmission line. This provides enhanced interaction of the electromagnetic field with the detected droplets. The proposed design allows us to measure droplet size directly from the phase of the microwave signal, without the need for a resonator. The platform is based on low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC), which makes it more compatible with Radiofrequency (RF) and microwave technology than platforms used in previous works. With this platform, we are able to measure droplets as small as 150 µm in radius. It is worth pointing out that our device could also be used for detection, counting and measurement of other microscopic objects.
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45
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Oloye O, Tang C, Du A, Will G, O'Mullane AP. Galvanic replacement of liquid metal galinstan with Pt for the synthesis of electrocatalytically active nanomaterials. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:9705-9715. [PMID: 31066435 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr02458a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The galvanic replacement reaction is a verstile method for the fabrication of bimetallic nanomaterials which is usually limited to solid precursors. Here we report on the galvanic replacement of liquid metal galinstan with Pt which predominantly results in the formation of a Pt5Ga1 material. During the galvanic replacement process an interesting phenomenon was observed whereby a plume of nanomaterial is ejected upwards from the centre of the liquid metal droplet into solution which is due to surface tension gradients on the liquid metal surface that induces surface convection. It was also found that hydrogen gas was liberated during the process facilitated by the formation of the Pt rich nanomaterial which is a highly effective catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The material was characterised by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering measurements. It was found that Pt5Ga1 was highly effective for the electrochemical oxidation of methanol and ethanol and outperformed a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Density functional theory calculations confirmed that the increased activity is due to the anti poisoning properties of the surface towards CO upon the incorporation of Ga atoms into a Pt catalyst. The use of liquid metals and galvanic replacement offers a simple approach to fabricating Ga based alloy nanomaterials that may have use in many other types of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olawale Oloye
- School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
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46
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Chen X, Zhou C, Wang W. Colloidal Motors 101: A Beginner's Guide to Colloidal Motor Research. Chem Asian J 2019; 14:2388-2405. [DOI: 10.1002/asia.201900377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xi Chen
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringHarbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) G 908, HIT Campus, Xili University Town Shenzhen Guangdong China
| | - Chao Zhou
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringHarbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) G 908, HIT Campus, Xili University Town Shenzhen Guangdong China
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Materials Science and EngineeringHarbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) G 908, HIT Campus, Xili University Town Shenzhen Guangdong China
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47
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Cui Y, Liang F, Ji C, Xu S, Wang H, Lin Z, Liu J. Discoloration Effect and One-Step Synthesis of Hydrogen Tungsten and Molybdenum Bronze (H x MO 3) using Liquid Metal at Room Temperature. ACS OMEGA 2019; 4:7428-7435. [PMID: 31459839 PMCID: PMC6648284 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a new route to one-step fabrication and in situ application of hydrogen tungsten and molybdenum bronze (H x MO3) at room temperature and triggers the interdisciplinary research of multifunctional materials between liquid metal and transition-metal oxides (TMOs). Gallium-based liquid metal (GBLM) enables the discoloration effect on TMOs in acid electrolytes at ambient temperature. The underlying mechanism behind this phenomenon can be ascribed to the redox effect at the interface of liquid metal and TMOs in acid electrolytes. Both the theoretical calculations and the experimental results demonstrate that the increasing intercalation of H+ ions into the lattice of WO3 raises the electron density at the Fermi level and charge carriers. H+ ion content in the obtained H x MO3 can be controlled in our approach to meet different requirements. Taking advantage of the one-step fabrication and room-temperature liquid phase nature of the liquid metal, H x MO3 is synthesized under ambient conditions in a very short time, which is inaccessible with conventional solution-processed mechanical alloying, or other methods. The H x MO3 obtained in this one-step approach enables convenient and simple applications for biomimetic camouflage, cost-effective energy storage, H+ ion sensor, and electronic switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuntao Cui
- CAS
Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics
and Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical
Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and CAS Key Laboratory Functional Crystals
and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Fei Liang
- CAS
Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics
and Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical
Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and CAS Key Laboratory Functional Crystals
and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Cheng Ji
- Physics Department and School of Future
Technology, University of Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shuo Xu
- CAS
Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics
and Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical
Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and CAS Key Laboratory Functional Crystals
and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Physics Department and School of Future
Technology, University of Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hongzhang Wang
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Zheshuai Lin
- CAS
Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics
and Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical
Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and CAS Key Laboratory Functional Crystals
and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jing Liu
- CAS
Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics
and Chemistry, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering, Technical
Institute of Physics and Chemistry, and CAS Key Laboratory Functional Crystals
and Laser Technology, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
- Physics Department and School of Future
Technology, University of Chinese Academy
of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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48
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Li H, Fang W, Li Y, Yang Q, Li M, Li Q, Feng XQ, Song Y. Spontaneous droplets gyrating via asymmetric self-splitting on heterogeneous surfaces. Nat Commun 2019; 10:950. [PMID: 30837468 PMCID: PMC6401179 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08919-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Droplet impacting and bouncing off solid surface plays a vital role in various biological/physiological processes and engineering applications. However, due to a lack of accurate control of force transmission, the maneuver of the droplet movement and energy conversion is rather primitive. Here we show that the translational motion of an impacting droplet can be converted to gyration, with a maximum rotational speed exceeding 7300 revolutions per minute, through heterogeneous surface wettability regulation. The gyration behavior is enabled by the synergetic effect of the asymmetric pinning forces originated from surface heterogeneity and the excess surface energy of the spreading droplet after impact. The findings open a promising avenue for delicate control of liquid motion as well as actuating of solids. Controlling droplet impact and rebound behaviour can have applications in inkjet printing and self-cleaning. Here the authors show how a chemically-patterned surface with high-adhesive spirals surrounded by hydrophobic, low-adhesive regions leads to gyration behaviour of impacting droplets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huizeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Wei Fang
- AML, CNMM and Department of Engineering Mechanics, and State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yanan Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Mingzhu Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qunyang Li
- AML, CNMM and Department of Engineering Mechanics, and State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xi-Qiao Feng
- AML, CNMM and Department of Engineering Mechanics, and State Key Laboratory of Tribology, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, P. R. China.
| | - Yanlin Song
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100190, Beijing, P. R. China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, P. R. China.
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49
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Chen S, Liu J. Spontaneous Dispersion and Large-Scale Deformation of Gallium-Based Liquid Metal Induced by Ferric Ions. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:2439-2447. [PMID: 30777756 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
A gallium-based liquid metal (LM) exhibits the largest interfacial tension among all the room-temperature liquids, which gives it strong deformability and promises its role in the field of soft machines. Paradoxically, such a material always remains nearly spherical in solution because of large interfacial tension, which in turn hinders the construction of LM-based soft machines. Consequently, it is of significant theoretical and practical value to regulate the interfacial tension of a LM in order to carry out richer deformation. In this study, spontaneous dispersion and large-scale deformation of a bulk LM were disclosed to be induced by ferric ions. It was found that the bulk LM immersed in the FeCl3 solution can spontaneously disperse into a large amount of droplets. In addition, the dispersed LM droplets could move and deform by increasing the concentration of the solution or adding acids. The mechanisms behind the untraditional phenomena lie in the nonuniform interfacial tension over the entire surface of the LM, which is associated with the space-time distribution of the FeCl3 solution. Further, directional locomotion and periodic oscillation occur because of the nonuniform interfacial tension, which leads to the autonomous dispersion and deformation of the LM. Overall, the unique redox reactions between the LM and the FeCl3 solution play an essential role in ensuring the continuity of deformation. The present spontaneous dispersion and deformation capability of the LM signify a paradigm shift and open up new possibilities for the development of chemistry-enabled soft machines in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Chen
- Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China.,School of Future Technology , University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Jing Liu
- Beijing Key Lab of Cryo-Biomedical Engineering and Key Lab of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China.,School of Future Technology , University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine , Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084 , China
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50
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Biswas GC, Rana MM, Kazuhiro T, Suzuki H. A simple micropump based on a freeze-dried superabsorbent polymer for multiplex solution processing in disposable devices. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:182213. [PMID: 31032056 PMCID: PMC6458371 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.182213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We describe a simple micropump for disposable microfluidic devices. The pump is constructed using a freeze-dried disc of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP). The disc absorbs a solution in a flow channel and swells upward in a pumping chamber. Despite the simple structure of this device, the rate of absorption remains constant and can be adjusted by changing the composition of the SAP, its size, the dimensions of the flow channel and the medium to be absorbed. The pumping action can be initiated by applying an electrical signal using a switchable hydrophobic valve. The integrated approach of the SAP pump and switchable valve could facilitate the automatic processing of many solutions required for bioassay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gokul Chandra Biswas
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
| | - Md. Mohosin Rana
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
| | - Takekoshi Kazuhiro
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8675, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Suzuki
- Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
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