JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
·
2024
·
IF 2.5
Haibo Zhang,Qiong Ding,Ruohan Li,Weihong Chen,Peng Wang
Liquid metals are widely applied in various fields, including chemistry, catalysis, energy storage, chemical sensing, and stretchable electronics, due to their unique deformabilities. However, their behavior under a rod or ring electrode has never been analyzed. Furthermore, research on the deformation behavior of eutectic Ga–In (EGaIn), the most commonly used Ga-based liquid metal, under electric fields of varying intensities and shapes is lacking. Therefore, investigating the deformation behavior of liquid metals under electric fields is expected to contribute to the accurate regulation of their morphologies. To this end, herein, an electrochemical device was fabricated using EGaIn, and experiments were conducted by adjusting the potential and the cathode shape. Further, the mechanism of the deformation was analyzed in detail. When a potential was applied, EGaIn droplets deformed into fractal dendrites under circular, polygonal, and nonpolygonal electric fields. Dendrite symmetry was influenced by the cathode shape, as the resulting electric fields varied in shape. The results of this study will aid in precisely controlling the behaviors of LMs and their alloys using electric fields. This topic is suitable for upper-division undergraduates who possess a basic understanding of electrochemistry. Through these experiments, students may explore the effects of potential on the morphology of EGaIn and analyze experimental phenomena such as electrowetting, dendrite formation, and surface oxidation, thereby developing a preliminary understanding of interfacial tension and electrocapillarity. Additionally, these experiments encourage undergraduates to actively participate in laboratory work, which helps foster their enthusiasm for chemistry.
研究领域:
材料科学
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电化学
·
物理学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
·
2022
·
IF 10.383
Ziyang Huang,Siyi Zou,Guozhen Liu
It is a long-lasting research topic to avoid the formation of oxidation layers on gallium-based liquid metals. This study has developed a simple general method for modification of the eutectic gallium–indium (EGaIn) surface with p-aniline derivatives to introduce a monolayer of organic molecules with versatile functional groups. The binding affinity of carboxylic acid groups, amine groups, or thiol groups with EGaIn is in the order SH > NH2 > COOH. For the first time, it is evidenced that both NH2 and SH groups can coexist on the EGaIn nanoparticle surface with the binding affinities of 30 and 70%, respectively. The formation of these organic molecules on the EGaIn surface antioxidizes and thus stabilizes the EGaIn nanoparticles, while increasing the conductivity of EGaIn significantly. The resulting EGaIn nanoparticles have very good distribution in both ethanol and aqueous solutions and rich surface chemistry, making them suitable for the following attachment of biomolecules such as aptamers, antibodies, or enzymes for biomedical applications. As an example, the EGaIn surface is successfully modified with p-aminobenzoic acid followed by the attachment of an insulin aptamer, which can be used for the electrochemical detection of insulin with the lowest detectable concentration limit of 1 pM. This study reveals the modification of EGaIn nanoparticles with p-aniline derivatives with versatile functional groups to antioxidize EGaIn in a biological environment, opening a door for gallium-based liquid metals toward biomedical applications.
研究领域:
材料科学
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生物医学工程
·
分析化学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Nanoscale
·
2025
·
IF 5.1
Chuangxin Zhou,Zhiheng Zhang,Yuan Gao,Weize Diao,Siyi Zou,Jun Zhu,Jiangtao Xu,Guozhen Liu
Surface modification of Eutectic Gallium Indium (EGaIn) to inhibit oxidation has been a long-lasting challenge in material science, with limited research reporting the formation of a covalent bond between Ga and modifiers for stability purposes. Taking advantage of strong reductive property of EGaIn, this study developed a simple method for spontaneous reduction of aryldiazonium salts on EGaIn nanoparticle surface to form stable covalent Ga-C sigma bonds, effectively suppressing surface oxidation.Comprehensive characterization confirmed the formation of the covalent Ga-C bond rather than Ga-N=N-C bonds on the EGaIn nanoparticle surface. Approximately 20% of Ga(0) in EGaIn forms Ga-C bonds. Notably, the short chain aryl modified EGaIn nanoparticles exhibited high stability and negligible surface oxidation. This straightforward strategy for preparing stable aryl modified EGaIn nanoparticles allows the introduction of a range of ligands on the EGaIn nanoparticle surfaces, offering promising opportunities for diverse applications across multiple fields.
研究领域:
材料科学
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纳米科技
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表面化学
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生物材料
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药物递送
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
LANGMUIR
·
2021
·
IF 3.882
Lixian Tian,Esther Martine,Xi Yu,Wenping Hu
We studied the structure and transport properties of aromatic amine self-assembled monolayers (NH2-SAMs) on an Au surface. The oligophenylene and oligoacene amines with variable lengths can form a densely packed and uniform monolayer under proper assembly conditions. Molecular junctions incorporating an eutectic Ga–In (EGaIn) top electrode were used to characterize the charge transport properties of the amine monolayer. The current density J of the junction decreases exponentially with the molecular length (d), as J = J0 exp(−βd), which is a sign of tunneling transport, with indistinguishable values of J0 and β for NH2-SAMs of oligophenylene and oligoacene, indicating a similar molecule–electrode contact and tunneling barrier for two groups of molecules. Compared with the oligophenylene and oligoacene molecules with thiol (SH) as the anchor group, a similar β value (∼0.35 Å-1) of the aromatic NH2-SAM suggests a similar tunneling barrier, while a lower (by 2 orders of magnitude) injection current J0 is attributed to lower electronic coupling Γ of the amine group with the electrode. These observations are further supported by single-level tunneling model fitting. Our study here demonstrates the NH2-SAMs can work as an effective active layer for molecular junctions, and provide key physical parameters for the charge transport, paving the road for their applications in functional devices.
研究领域:
分子电子学
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材料科学
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纳米技术
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表面化学
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
·
2024
·
IF 8.3
Meng-Ting Xu,Yu Zhu,Chang Wei,Lei Liu,Zicai Zhu,Zhen-Hua Tang,Yuan-Qing Li,Shao-Yun Fu
Electrodes with high electrical conductivity, yet good flexibility and mechanical compliance, are critical for electroactive artificial muscles. Herein, a promising liquid metal (LM) electrode is proposed by transforming eutectic gallium–indium (EGaIn) LM with high surface tension into paste-like LM with solid Ga2O3 shells. The developed compliant LM electrode not only shows high conductivity and negligible additional stiffness but also displays excellent electrical stability during cyclic actuation. Based on the LM electrode, the poly(vinyl chloride) gel (PVCG) artificial muscle developed exhibits the maximum actuation strain of 18.7% at a low electric field strength of 9 V μm–1 and maintains excellent durability without obvious performance attenuation after 10,000 s. A comparison shows that the as-developed PVCG artificial muscle is superior over that based on widely used carbon electrodes. Moreover, an artificial upper limb and crawling worm were manufactured to explore the great potential of PVCG artificial muscle in the robotic field. In addition, the practical application demonstration of the PVCG artificial muscle in the biomimetics field is also successfully fulfilled through the design of reasonable structures. Due to its easy fabrication, excellent electrical conductivity, and high mechanical compliance, the newly developed LM electrode is promising for high-performance PVCG artificial muscles in bionic robots.
研究领域:
材料科学
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机器人学
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电活性聚合物
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生物机电一体化
✓ 已验证
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Journal of Physical Chemistry C
·
2021
·
IF 4.126
Lixian Tian,Xianneng Song,Xi Yu,Wenping Hu
Facile modulation of the rectification behavior of a molecular junction device was achieved by humidity and alkali metal ions using a series of carboxylic acid-terminated self-assembled monolayers (COOH SAMs) on gold and eutectic gallium-indium alloy top contact (EGaIn). The rectification ratio (RR) increased significantly as the humidity (ranging from 1 to 39%) increases for an n-mercaptoalkanoic acid (HSCnO2H, n = 11, 12, 14, 16) SAM device. Meanwhile, K+/Na+, as the counterion of COO– in the same element group with H+, enhanced the RR of the SAM device as well. By the detailed study of the rectifying current–voltage (I–V) response using a theoretical model based on single-level tunneling, we found that the modulated rectification behavior of SAMs was attributed to the change in the coupling strength of the carboxylic group with the EGaIn electrode and the asymmetry factor of the junction in the presence of water and K+/Na+. Our study here suggested that the delicate electronic structure change at the molecule–(GaOx)GaIn interface played the most significant role in the modulation of the rectification performance of the SAM device. The molecule–(GaOx)GaIn interface thus offered a great research opportunity to achieve the desired function of SAM-GaIn-based molecular devices.
研究领域:
纳米技术
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材料科学
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电化学
·
表面化学
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分子电子学
✓ 已验证
DOI
高影响因子
Small
·
2019
·Vol. 15
·期 16
·1900511
·
IF 10.856
Dan Wang,Wensheng Xie,Qin Gao,Hao Yan,Junxin Zhang,Jingsong Lu,BorShuang Liaw,Zhenhu Guo,Fei Gao,Lan Yin,Guifeng Zhang,Lingyun Zhao
Transformable liquid metal (LM)-based materials have attracted considerable research interest in biomedicine. However, the potential biomedical applications of LMs have not yet been fully explored. Herein, for the first trial, the inductive heating property of gallium–indium eutectic alloy (EGaIn) under alterative magnetic field is systematically investigated. By virtue of its inherent metallic nature, LM possesses excellent magnetic heating property as compared to the conventional magnetite nanoparticles, therefore enabling its unique application as non-magnetic agents in magnetic hyperthermia. Moreover, the extremely high surface tension of LM could be dramatically lowered by a rather facile PEGylation approach, making LM an ideal carrier for other theranostic cargos. By incorporating doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded mesoporous silica (DOX-MS) within PEGylated LM, a magnetic field-driven transformable LM hybrid platform capable of pH/AFM dual stimuli-responsive drug release and magnetic thermochemotherapy are successfully fabricated. The potential application for breast cancer treatment is demonstrated. Furthermore, the large X-ray attenuation ability of LM endows the hybrid with the promising ability for CT imaging. This work explores a new biomedical use of LM and a promising cancer treatment protocol based on LM hybrid for magnetic hyperthermia combined with dual stimuli-responsive chemotherapy and CT imaging.
研究领域:
生物医学工程
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纳米技术
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癌症治疗
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医学成像
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）