Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 30, 2026

A Method to Manipulate Surface Tension of a Liquid Metal via Surface Oxidation and Reduction
Published on: January 26, 2016
Soft Anisotropic Conductors as Electric Vias for Ga-Based Liquid Metal Circuits
Tong Lu1, James Wissman1, Ruthika1
1Soft Machines Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 United States.
Abstract:
We introduce a method for sealing liquid metal (LM) circuits with soft anisotropic conductors that prevent leaking, while simultaneously allowing for electrical contact with skin and surface mounted electronics. These films are composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) embedded with vertically aligned columns of ferromagnetic Ag-Ni microparticles. The microparticles are magnetically aligned and support electrical conductivity only through the thickness (z-axis) of the elastomer film. Measurements on 10-40% (by wt) composites show moderate volumetric resistivity (as low as ρ = 0.03 Ω/m) through the thickness and no conductivity between adjacent traces. Functionality is demonstrated with several illustrative applications related to tactile sensing and electronics hardware integration.
Related Concept Videos
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Theory of Metallic Conduction
In this theory, Newton's second law of motion is used to determine the acceleration of an electron in the presence of an applied electric field. Then, its velocity is expressed via this acceleration.
An electron moves through the crystal, containing positive ions,...
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The...
Semiconductors
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Types Of Superconductors
Types of Semiconductors

