Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Liquid metals can spontaneously bulge, protrude, branch and slither in response to certain ions in their environment. This happens due to the Marangoni effect, which starts with uneven changes in the surface tension of a fluid. If researchers can control these movements, they could open up new possibilities for soft electronics and robotics. In a recent report, chemists studied the snake-like locomotion of a gallium-based liquid metal alloy in different solutions containing copper ions.
#gallium #experiment #chemistry #research #science
Read the paper: doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c03160
(Corresponding authors: Bingxing Wang, Ph.D., and Donglin Zhao, Ph.D.)
Video credits:
Written and produced by Anne Hylden
Produced by Vangie Koonce and Andrew Sobey
Edited by Janali Thompson
Narrated by Andrew Sobey
Executive produced by Matthew Radcliff
Research videos from Liheng Liu and Bin-Chao Wu
Music: “Rising Early (Radio Edit)” by Tambhor from Triple Scoop Music
Sound effects: Soundsnap
Produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the world’s largest scientific societies. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.
Join the #AmericanChemicalSociety! bit.ly/Join_ACS
Liquid metals can spontaneously bulge, protrude, branch and slither in response to certain ions in their environment. This happens due to the Marangoni effect, which starts with uneven changes in the surface tension of a fluid. If researchers can control these movements, they could open up new possibilities for soft electronics and robotics. In a recent report, chemists studied the snake-like locomotion of a gallium-based liquid metal alloy in different solutions containing copper ions.
#gallium #experiment #chemistry #research #science
Read the paper: doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c03160
(Corresponding authors: Bingxing Wang, Ph.D., and Donglin Zhao, Ph.D.)
Video credits:
Written and produced by Anne Hylden
Produced by Vangie Koonce and Andrew Sobey
Edited by Janali Thompson
Narrated by Andrew Sobey
Executive produced by Matthew Radcliff
Research videos from Liheng Liu and Bin-Chao Wu
Music: “Rising Early (Radio Edit)” by Tambhor from Triple Scoop Music
Sound effects: Soundsnap
Produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the world’s largest scientific societies. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences.
Join the #AmericanChemicalSociety! bit.ly/Join_ACS
