Magnetically- and electrically-controllable functional liquid metal droplets

Fangxia Li, Shaolong Kuang, Xiangpeng Li, Jian Shu, Weihua Li, Shi-Yang Tang, Shiwu Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Gallium‐based room temperature liquid metal alloys have recently been explored to be an emerging functional material. They have attracted particular attentions in a variety of applications due to their unique properties. Many of the applications are based on the precise control over the motion of liquid metal, and yet, the fact that currently lacking the advanced and reliable controlling methods greatly hinders the potential of liquid metal to be applied in a wider range of fields. In this study, an innovative approach is developed to obtain functional liquid metal (FLM) by modifying it with copper–iron magnetic nanoparticles (Cu–Fe NPs). The magnetic modification process enables the Cu–Fe NPs to be suspended within the liquid metal and form the FLM. The FLM exhibits similar appearance, actuating behaviors, and deformability in alkaline solutions to those of pure liquid metal alloys. Meanwhile, the magnetic modification enables the precise and rapid manipulation of the liquid metal using a magnetic field. Most importantly, for the first time, the precise control and climbing locomotion of the FLM is demonstrated with the interworking of both electric and magnetic fields simultaneously. The remarkable features of the FLM may represent vast potentials toward the development of future intelligent soft robots.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1800694
JournalAdvanced Materials Technologies
Volume4
Issue number3
Early online date22 Jan 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Mar 2019

Keywords

  • field-responsive material
  • functional materials
  • galinstan
  • liquid metals
  • locomotion

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