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Researchers Discover Technique for Shape-Shifting Metals

TMCnet Feature

September 25, 2014

Researchers Discover Technique for Shape-Shifting Metals

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By Clayton Hamshar
Contributing Writer

Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have developed an innovative new technique for controlling the surface tension of liquid metals, allowing them to change the shape at will. This technology may sound a bit familiar, as it resembles the previously-thought-impossible T-1000 killing machine in “Terminator 2.”


The scientists chose a liquid metal alloy of Gallium and Indium due to its extraordinarily high surface tension of 500 millinewtons per meter (mN/m), which enables the alloy to form and hold an essentially unchanging spherical shape. The mixture melts at room temperature and is classified as a eutectic alloy because it is a combination of metals with disparate melting points (29 degrees Celsius for Gallium and 156 degrees Celsius for Indium).

When submerged in water, a very low electric current of less than one volt significantly reduced the surface tension from 500 mN/m all the way down to a mere 2 mN/m. This is possible due to an oxide “skin” that forms between the alloy and the surrounding water. Varying the amount of current allowed the scientists to vary the liquidity to any point between those levels and thus control the shape and movement. By flipping the polarity, the oxide is destroyed and the high surface tension is restored.

“The resulting changes in surface tension are among the largest ever reported, which is remarkable considering it can be manipulated by less than one volt,” said Dr. Michael Dickey, lead author of the research and an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NCSU. “We can use this technique to control the movement of liquid metals, allowing us to change the shape of antennas and complete or break circuits. It could also be used in microfluidic channels, MEMS, or photonic and optical devices. Many materials form surface oxides, so the work could extend beyond the liquid metals studied here.”

This discovery has vast implications for the science and technology world, especially with regards to electronics. Some potential applications include radio electronics, which would be able to benefit from self-transforming antennas to optimize signal transmissions, embedded electronics in the gloves of doctors and lab technicians, or robots that would be able to operate with much more freedom of motion. In a more general sense, this technology could enable the creation of self-healing electronics, which would be a revolutionary step forward for science.

Dickey’s lab has worked with electronics and liquid metals in the past, including mechanically shape-shifting antennas and demonstrations of a technique for 3D printing liquid metals.




Edited by Alisen Downey


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