Discover the step-by-step process, unique advantages, and diverse applications of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and delve into how this technique is revolutionizing the production of 2D materials.
Soft actuators offer several advantages over traditional rigid machines. Among soft materials, liquid metal (LM) is particularly noteworthy for its electro-responsive surface properties that induce flow or morphological changes, making it ideal for soft machines. Although using LM droplets as micropumps is simple, they face challenges in efficient vertical fluid pumping. Here, we report a pump-valve dual-functional LM soft actuator (PDLMA) that can continuously pump liquid upward. Benefiting from the unique conformability of LM, the PDLMA can provide the function of a check valve, which blocks the backflow of the rising liquid while continuing the pumping effect. At 6 V direct current (DC), the PDLMA lifts the solution more than 80 cm. We demonstrate the device's applications in circuit-on/off switches and pump-mixer systems. Moreover, as a conceptual experiment, we show the PDLMA's ability to achieve contamination-free drug delivery. The PDLMA represents a crucial step towar
Nanoengineering the composition and morphology of functional nanoparticles endows them to perform multiple tasks and functions. An intriguing strategy for creating multifunctional nanomaterials involves the construction of core–shell nanostructures, which have enabled promising applications in biomedicine, energy, sensing, and catalysis. Here, a straightforward nanoengineering approach is presented utilizing liquid metal nanoparticles and galvanic replacement to create diverse core–shell nanostructures. Controlled nanostructures including liquid metal core-gold nanoparticle shell (LM@Au), gold nanoparticle core-gallium oxide shell (Au@Ga oxide), and hollow Ga oxide nanoparticles are successfully fabricated. Remarkably, these investigations reveal that LM@Au exhibits exceptional photothermal performance, achieving an impressive conversion efficiency of 65.9%, which is five times that of gold nanoparticles. By leveraging the high photothermal conversion efficiency and excellent bioco
Conductive hydrogels have been promising candidates for wearable and flexible electronics due to their high flexibility and biocompatibility. However, the previously reported hydrogels with conductivity over 1000 S m−1 usually have poor mechanical properties including low tensile stress (<5 >MPa) and toughness (<2 MJ>m−3). Here, a liquid metal-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA-LM) hydrogel is presented, which simultaneously combines ultra-high conductivity (maximum of 217 895 S m−1) with excellent mechanical properties, including high tensile stress (15.44 MPa), large tensile strain (704%), high toughness (43.02 MJ m−3) and excellent fatigue resistance. Such extremely high conductivity is afforded by self-sintering behavior of LM at the bottom surface that enables the formation of conductive networks. The formation of polymer crystalline regions and polymer-tannic acid multiple hydrogen bonds are responsible for the impressive mechanical properties of conductive hydrogel
Liquid metals could be the long-awaited solution to “greening” the chemical industry, according to researchers who tested a new technique they hope can replace energy-intensive chemical engineerin .