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Flexible nozzle -based liquid metal line manufacturing(a Principle of generating liquid metal line, b processing of liquid metal lines, c microscopic photo of the generated liquid metal line with size of 10 μm)
Source publication
Liquid metal shows great potential in the fields of consumer electronics, wearable devices, and electronic skin, etc. At the same time, the liquid metal of the micro-Nano structure can also be used to obtain structures such as nanowires. However, traditional direct writing methods are difficult to achieve high precision due to the nozzle diameter,...
Citations
... However, LMs are a mixture of positive ions and free electron gas [20]. The stable dispersion of nanoparticles in LMs cannot be achieved through these traditional methods, because the LM's high electrical conductivity (e.g., 3.8 ×10 6 S/m for Ga-In-Sn) [21] weakens the strength of the double electrostatic layer on the nanoparticle surface [22], and LM's enormous surface tension (σ Ga ≈0.718 N/m) [23] weakens their wettability. Although metal nanoparticles can disperse in LMs by reducing interfacial energy through mutual diffusion and dissolution, most metal materials are prone to alloy reactions and dissolution with LMs, and their low hardness and poor wear and friction resistance pose new headaches if used for dispersion. ...
A novel liquid metal-based SiC/Graphene-Mo hybrid nanofluid (LMNF) has been fabricated. The nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed, and LMNF temperature-viscosity characteristics is stabler in a wider temperature range than traditional hydraulic media. With this, the LMNF tribological performance on Al 2 O 3 and SS316L friction pairs is studied: The LMNF has superior severe-pressure and high-temperature lubrication with the nanoparticle-enabled wear resistance. The SS316L surface forms composite nanofilm with the LMNF, which prevents adhesive wear and mitigates liquid metal corrosion. Comparatively, the nanoparticles function as "micro-bearings" on the Al 2 O 3 surfaces to assist lubrication. These benefits are reflected in the gear pump volumetric efficiency and wear rate of our industry-level hydraulic system, approving LMNF as a potential hydraulic transmission medium in harsh conditions.
Self‐sinterable gallium‐based liquid metal (LM) ink for a handy drop‐casting coating method is developed. The fabricated LM electrode is coffee‐ring‐free and bilayer‐free, which guarantees high electrical conductivity, wettability, flexibility, and stretchability. The ink consists of Galinstan, ethanol‐water mixture, hydrochloric acid, and polyvinylpyrrolidone. The binary mixture provides excellent wetting conditions and suppresses a coffee‐ring stain from Marangoni mixing. The acid removes an oxide layer on the LM interface. The colloidal interaction forces by self‐assembled polyvinylpyrrolidone induce avalanche coalescences of the particles at the end of evaporation, which produces a thin and uniform dried conductive layer. The acid and polymer provide a bilayer‐free structure and electrification without any post sintering. The drop‐casted self‐transformed LM electrode showed excellent electrical resistance of O (0.1–1 Ω) on folding and stretching conditions. It is believed that this method can serve as flexible and stretchable electrodes, on various substances for soft robots and wearable devices, without any complicated post‐process. Self‐sinterable liquid metal ink comprising Galinstan, ethanol‐water mixture, hydrochloric acid, and polyvinylpyrrolidone was introduced for a flexible electrode coating material. The binary mixture and polymer contribute to create a uniform pattern, and the acid removes an oxide layer on the LM interface. Drop‐casting method can fabricate an electrode with high electrical conductivity, wettability, flexibility, and stretchability without post sintering.
