Breakup-Free and Colorful Liquid Metal Thin Films via Electrochemical OxidationClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!
- Yi ChenYi ChenState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Yi Chen
- Biao Ma*Biao Ma*E-mail: [email protected]State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Biao Ma
- Gangsheng ChenGangsheng ChenState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Gangsheng Chen
- Jin ZhangJin ZhangState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Jin Zhang
- Dezhi FengDezhi FengState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Dezhi Feng
- Wei TianWei TianState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Wei Tian
- Taiming ZhangTaiming ZhangState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Taiming Zhang
- Chao ZhaoChao ZhaoState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Chao Zhao
- Fei RongFei RongState Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Fei Rong
- Hong Liu*Hong Liu*E-mail: [email protected]State Key Laboratory of Digital Medical Engineering, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, ChinaMore by Hong Liu
Abstract
Thin-film metal conductors featuring high conductivity and stretchability are basic building blocks for high-performance conformable electronics. Gallium-based liquid metals are attractive candidates for thin-film conductors due to their intrinsic stretchability and ease of processing. Moreover, the phase change nature of liquid metal provides an opportunity to create conformal electronics in a substrate-free manner. However, thin liquid metal films tend to break during the solid-to-liquid transition due to the high surface tension of liquid metal. Here, we created breakup-free liquid metal thin films by the electrochemical oxidation of solid gallium films. We show that electrochemical oxidation can enhance the mechanical strength of the gallium oxide layer and its interfacial adhesion to the gallium core. When heated to the liquid state, the oxidized gallium films can maintain their structural integrity on various solid substrates, hydrogels, and even the water surface. The solid–liquid phase change-induced stiffness decrease allowed the gallium films to be conformably attached to various nonplanar surfaces upon heating or water transfer printing. Moreover, we also found that enhanced electrochemical oxidation can result in the formation of structure color due to nanoporous structures on the film surface. We also demonstrate the applications of oxidized liquid metal films in functional electronics, electrophysiological monitoring, and tattoo art.
Cited By
This article has not yet been cited by other publications.
Article Views
Altmetric
Citations
Article Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.
Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.
The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated.