All Images
Research News
Changing the shape and function of liquid metal
The image shows a stack of liquid metal droplets. The metal is a eutectic alloy of gallium and indium. The metal is a liquid, similar to water, but can be patterned into 3-D shapes due to a thin, solid oxide skin that forms on its surface.
Credit: Collin Ladd, NC State University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (111.7 KB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
The metal is a eutectic alloy of gallium and indium. The metal is a liquid, similar to water, but can be patterned into 3-D shapes due to a thin, solid oxide skin that forms on its surface.
Credit: Collin Ladd, NC State University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (6.9 MB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.
This 3-D structure was created out of liquid metal drops. The liquid metal, a eutectic alloy of gallium and indium, is similar to water but it can be patterned into 3-D shapes due to a thin, solid, oxide skin that forms on its surface. Researchers at North Carolina State University developed the 3-D printing technology and techniques, which can create free-standing structures made of liquid metal at room temperature. This structure was created using a technique that involves stacking the liquid metal droplets on top of each other, much like a stack of oranges at the supermarket. The droplets adhere to one another but retain their shape, and do not merge into a single, larger droplet.
Credit: Collin Ladd, NC State University
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (10.3 MB)
Use your mouse to right-click (Mac users may need to Ctrl-click) the link above and choose the option that will save the file or target to your computer.