An Ultrastretchable Electrical Switch Fiber with a Magnetic Liquid Metal Core for Remote Magnetic Actuation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Robotics

Background:

• Development of advanced materials for soft robotics and electronics is crucial.
• Existing materials often lack the required combination of stretchability, conductivity, and magnetic actuation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a novel soft and ultrastretchable fiber with a magnetic liquid metal (MLM) core.
• To enable remote magnetic actuation for electrical switches and other electronic applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of hollow elastic fibers using SEBS and silicone.
• Preparation of magnetic liquid metal (MLM) by deoxidizing liquid metal and adding iron particles.
• Injection of MLM into the fiber core under ambient pressure.

Main Results:

• The resulting fibers exhibit high stretchability (600-5000% elongation) and softness (1.6-4.4 MPa Young's modulus).
• Fibers maintain electrical conductivity and magnetic properties due to the fluidic MLM core.
• Magnetic strength was characterized based on iron particle concentration and polymeric shell composition.

Conclusions:

• The developed MLM-core fiber is suitable for electrical switches and remote magnetic actuation.
• This material holds potential for applications in soft robotics, wearable electronics, and conformal devices.