Gallium (Ga) is a low melting point post-transition metal that, under mild mechanical agitation, can form micron and submicron-sized particles with combined fluid-like and metallic properties. In this work, an inorganic network of Ga liquid metal particles was synthesised spontaneous formation of manganese (Mn) oxide species on their liquid metallic surfaces forming an all-inorganic composite. The micron-sized Ga particles formed by sonication were connected together by Mn oxide nanostructures spontaneously established from the reduction of a Mn salt in aqueous solution slightly above the melting point of Ga.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn nature, snowflake ice crystals arrange themselves into diverse symmetrical six-sided structures. We show an analogy of this when zinc (Zn) dissolves and crystallizes in liquid gallium (Ga). The low-melting-temperature Ga is used as a "metallic solvent" to synthesize a range of flake-like Zn crystals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Appl Mater Interfaces
September 2021
Liquid metals and alloys with high-aspect-ratio nanodimensional features are highly sought-after for emerging electronic applications. However, high surface tension, water-like fluidity, and the existence of self-limiting oxides confer specific peculiarities to their characteristics. Here, we introduce a high accuracy nanometric three-dimensional pulling and stretching method to fabricate liquid-metal-based nanotips from room- or near-room-temperature gallium-based alloys.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGallic acid, a natural phenolic compound, efficiently establishes surface complexes with liquid gallium leading to the formation of an aqueous gallium dispersion via sonication. The surface functionalised gallium particles thus obtained were easily impregnated into paper membranes that could be turned from insulating to conductive by pressure induced deformation of the embedded particles.
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