Session: Rising Stars of Mechanical Engineering Celebration & Showcase

Paper Number: 147893

147893 - Manufacturing of Solid Particle-Liquid Metal Mixtures for Soft Robotics and Stretchable Electronics 

Room temperature liquid metals, such as eutectic gallium indium and Galinstan, have gained significant popularity as bulk materials and fillers in composites and have enabled the development of stretchable electrical conductors, soft sensors for measuring physical parameters, and passive heat spreaders for efficient heat transfer. To further enhance the properties of Ga-based LMs, secondary fluids or solid particle additives have been introduced. Typically, the solid particle additive is a metal such as nickel, tungsten, or copper. The high reactivity and cohesive energy of gallium-based liquid metals offer challenges at the solid-liquid interface, which are overcome through an interfacial engineering approach where an intermediate layer is introduced to concurrently act as a corrosion barrier and wetting agent. The solid particle-liquid metal mixtures are created by mixing via mechanical shear under controlled conditions. The physical properties, rheological behavior, and chemical stability are subsequently characterized to establish the process-property-performance relationships to understand how the particle composition, volume loading, and size affect the properties and performance of the particle-liquid metal mixtures. The improved properties, enhanced chemical stability, and ability to pattern structures in three-dimensions enable solid particle-liquid metal mixtures to take a range of forms, from discrete inclusions in composite materials to patterned liquid networks. This research enables the design and manufacturing of materials and structures tailored for soft structures, devices and systems inspired by biology.

Presenting Author: Eric Markvicka University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Presenting Author Biography: Dr. Eric Markvicka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). There, he also holds a courtesy appointment in the School of Computing and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. At UNL Eric directs the Smart Materials and Robotics Laboratory, an interdisciplinary research lab that is creating multifunctional soft materials that exhibit a unique combination of mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. These materials are critical components for the emerging fields of wearable computing, soft robotics, and robotic materials. Prof. Markvicka has received the 2024 NSF CAREER award, 2024 ASME Rising Star of Mechanical Engineering award, 2024 College of Engineering Edgerton Innovation Award, 2023 College of Engineering Excellence in Research Award, and 2021 NUtech Ventures Emerging Innovator of the Year award. Before joining the faculty at UNL, Eric received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from UNL and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University.

Authors:

Eric Markvicka University of Nebraska-Lincoln