Liquid Metal Marbles

This significant novel phenomenon combined with unique properties of liquid metal marbles represents an exciting platform for enabling diverse applications that cannot be achieved using rigid metal beads.

Liquid metal marbles.

We demonstrate photochemically induced actuation of liquid metal marbles which are liquid metal droplets encased in micro nanoparticles. For instance liquid metal marbles coated with semiconductor materials can act as transistors or diodes. Surprising actuation behaviours are observed illustrating that nanoparticle coatings can have a strong effect on the movement of these marbles. Liquid metal marbles that are droplets of liquid metal encapsulated by micro or nanoparticles are introduced.

Semiconducting properties of nanoparticle coating on liquid metal marbles can present opportunities for an additional dimension of control on these soft objects with functional surfaces in aqueous environments. Depending on the coating the application can be modified. Controlled actuation of soft objects with functional surfaces in aqueous environments presents opportunities for liquid phase electronics novel assembled super structures and unusual mechanical properties. Droplets of galinstan liquid metal are coated with insulators including teflon and silica and semiconductors including wo 3 tio.

We show the unique differences in the electrochemical actuation mechanisms of liquid metal marbles with n and p type semiconducting nanomaterial coating. Droplets of galinstan liquid metal are coated with insulators including teflon and silica and semiconductors including wo3 tio2 moo3 in2o3 and carbon nanotubes by rolling over a powder bed and also by submerging in colloidal suspensions. Nonwettable and nonsticky liquid metal marbles lmms are also developed to address the stickiness issue of oxidized lmas in air. The semiconducting wo 3 coating behaves as a photocatalyst to trigger a photochemical reaction generating oxygen bubbles that propel the.

Abstract liquid metal marbles that are droplets of liquid metal encapsulated by micro or nanoparticles are introduced. One process comprises coating liquid metal droplets with nano particles semiconductor and insulating materials forming the so called liquid metal marbles sivan et al 2013. Droplets of galinstan liquid metal are coated with insulators including teflon and silica and semiconductors including wo 3 tio 2 moo 3 in 2 o 3 and carbon nanotubes by rolling over a powder bed and also by submerging in. The wo 3 nanoparticles coated marbles are placed in h 2 o 2 solution and their surfaces are illuminated with uv light.