Liquid Metals for Advanced Batteries: Recent Progress and Future Perspective

EcoMat, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 7(2)

Published: Jan. 27, 2025

ABSTRACT The shift toward sustainable energy has increased the demand for efficient storage systems to complement renewable sources like solar and wind. While lithium‐ion batteries dominate market, challenges such as safety concerns limited density drive search new solutions. Liquid metals (LMs) have emerged promising materials advanced due their unique properties, including low melting points, high electrical conductivity, tunable surface tension, strong alloying tendency. Enabled by properties of LMs, four key scientific functions LMs in are highlighted: active materials, self‐healing, interface stabilization, conductivity enhancement. These applications can improve battery performance, safety, lifespan. This review also discusses current future opportunities using next‐generation systems. image

Language: Английский

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Compression‐Durable Soft Electronic Circuits Enabled by Embedding Self‐Healing Biphasic Liquid‐Solid Metal Into Microstructured Elastomeric Channels

Advanced Materials, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 12, 2025

Abstract Compression strongly degrades the electrical conductivity of liquid‐metal‐based circuits because liquid state is prone to be squashed. Here, a new compressible and stretchable biphasic liquid‐solid self‐healing circuit proposed by filling GalnSn‐BilnSn metal into micropillar‐embedded channels. The underlying BilnSn solid alloy layer serves as compression resistance layer, while upper GalnSn enables real‐time cracks in under large deformations, resulting autonomous maintenance both stretching compression. embedded micropillars further improved durability providing additional mechanical support. synergistic effect between materials micropillar designed conductor show stable performance (R/R 0 <10) pressure 38.2 MPa (≈389.5 Kgf cm −2 ) cyclic 15.8 over 7000 cycles <0.48%) without compromising stretchability, whereas metal‐based can only endure up 2.5 (25.49 ). antenna hybrid fabricated using showed enhanced durability. structure‐confined strategy enabled high‐resolution scalable manufacturing. Overall, robust stability significantly expands range possible applications conductors soft electronics.

Language: Английский

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High‐Entropy Liquid Metal Process for Transparent Ultrathin p‐Type Gallium Oxide

Advanced Functional Materials, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 12, 2025

Abstract The naturally self‐limiting oxide formed on the surface of liquid metals can be exfoliated and transferred onto various substrates. This layer with a thickness few nanometers is typically highly transparent engineered for applications in large‐area optoelectronics. While incorporation solvated elements into interfacial post‐transition metal‐based demonstrated n ‐doping, achieving p ‐doping such ultrathin layers remains significant challenge. In this study, use dissolved indium (In), platinum (Pt), gold (Au), palladium (Pd), copper (Cu) gallium (Ga)‐based alloys investigated to create high‐entropy metal system. allows exfoliation p‐ doped layer, predominantly composed (Ga 2 O 3 ). these system results their atomic dispersion, Cu exhibiting limited presence. atomically dispersed Pt, Au, Pd scavenge oxygen during at moderate temperatures release them cooling down, promoting emergence trivalent metallic Ga layer. work presents novel doping strategy achieve ‐doped liquid‐metal‐derived layers, which maintain high transparency.

Language: Английский

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High Thermal Conductivity in Nano/Micro-Biphasic Liquid Metal/Carbon Nanofiber/Diamond Composite

ACS Materials Letters, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 1555 - 1562

Published: March 25, 2025

Language: Английский

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Cellulose Nanocrystal Stabilized Liquid Metal Pickering Emulsion as Photothermal and Conductive Direct‐Writing Ink

Small, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 22, 2025

Abstract Gallium‐based liquid metal (LM) has attracted great attention for constructing flexible electronic devices due to its excellent deformability and electrical conductivity. However, large surface tension makes it difficult be uniformly dispersed in polymers, which severely limits wide applications. Hence, a surfactant‐free approach is proposed prepare stable LM microspheres against precipitation coalesce by facile ultrasonication via cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) stabilized LM‐in‐water Pickering emulsion (PE), where CNCs are employed as emulsifiers their partial wettability with both water phases, strong electrostatic adsorption hydrogen bonding interactions LM. So far, reports about PE CNC‐stabilized inorganic material still rare. CNC/LM direct‐writing inks on various substrates delicate patterns. The pristine patterns show photothermal conversion localized plasma resonance effect of microspheres. After activation friction sintering, the highly electric conductive (1666.7 S m −1 ) formation connection. activated also displayed Joule heating (83.2 °C at 0.9 V) electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding ability (585.7 dB mm X‐band range.

Language: Английский

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Dynamic-Wetting Liquid Metal Thin Layer Induced via Surface Oxygen-Containing Functional Groups

ACS Nano, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 22, 2025

Enhancing the wettability of liquid metals (LMs) to address their high surface tensions is crucial for practical applications. However, controlling LMs wetting on various substrates and understanding underlying mechanisms are challenging. Here, we present a facile dynamic-wetting strategy modulate eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) via chemical modification, spontaneously forming stable thin (∼18 μm) EGaIn layer. Polymer exhibiting varying behaviors can be categorized by sliding angles adhesion force. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results demonstrate that process occurs only surfaces with sufficient oxygen-containing functional groups (content ≥18%) confirm coordination interactions between oxide layer groups. Furthermore, in thermal management systems, heat transfer rate group increased up 20% compared nonwetting group. This work will hasten application flexible circuits management.

Language: Английский

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Connecting the Dots: Sintering of Liquid Metal Particles for Soft and Stretchable Conductors

Chemical Reviews, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 4, 2025

This review focuses on the sintering of liquid metal particles (LMPs). Here, means partial merging or connecting (or droplets) to form a network percolated and, thus, conductive electrical pathways. LMPs are attractive materials because they can be suspended in carrier fluid create printable inks distributed an elastomer soft, stretchable composites. However, films and traces not typically as fabricated due native oxide that forms surface particles. In case composites, polymers also get between particles, making more challenging. Sintering done via variety ways, such mechanical, thermal, chemical processing. discusses mechanisms sinter these patterning techniques use sintering, unique properties sintered LMPs, their practical applications fields electronics, soft robotics, active materials.

Language: Английский

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Interfacial Engineering of Liquid Metals in Thermal Science and Technology

ACS Nano, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 24, 2025

Liquid metals (LMs), with their unique metallic and fluidic properties at room temperature, show promising potential in advanced thermal-related applications. Nevertheless, challenges, such as high surface tension, limited wettability, phase separation, leakage, corrosion, limit integration into broader In this Perspective, we overview the interfacial engineering approaches enhancing compatibility stability of LMs complex application environments. Additionally, applications thermal energy conduction, storage, conversion, infrared modulation control are discussed. This Perspective highlights critical role LM-based systems pathways for developing next-generation LM-enabled technologies.

Language: Английский

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High‐Performance Phase Change Films Prepared by a Strategy for Thermal Management at Interfaces and Environmental Camouflage

Small, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 26, 2025

With the development of electronic equipment and advancement environmental camouflage technology, higher requirements are placed on flexibility, thermal conductivity, heat storage capacity phase change films. This work fabricated a high-performance dual-encapsulation composite film through employment Pickering emulsion polymerization sol-gel techniques, incorporating n-octadecane (n-OD), liquid metal gallium (Ga), poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO). Phase microcapsules (PM) serve to prevent leakage during changes, maintain high levels enthalpy, enhance dispersion n-OD in matrices, as well improve adhesion at interfaces. It is possible achieve excellent conductivity with only small amount modified Ga (MGa) by chitosan quaternary ammonium salt confined network since material has smaller size more uniform distribution. Owing its distinctive structural design modification strategy, (MGa/PM/PBO) manifests outstanding mechanical properties (featuring tensile strength 7.0 MPa), remarkable (9.4752 W m-1 K-1) in-plane), (100.9 J g-1). harbors significant potential for application management devices camouflage.

Language: Английский

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Bio-Inspired Smart Wings with PGPE-Enhanced Liquid Metal Circuits for Micro Flapping-Wing Robotics

ACS Applied Electronic Materials, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: May 5, 2025

Language: Английский

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