Dramatic effect of oxide on measured liquid metal rheology

Liquid metals have long been treated as Newtonian liquids, but several researchers have recently indicated that some metals may shear thin. While apparent shear thinning can be caused by surface oxidation, the reports of shear-thinning metals were investigated using cup and bob type rheometers, which are expected to only be weakly impacted by the surface contamination effects. We show here that even small amounts of oxide on the surface of liquid metals can cause dramatic changes to the measured viscosity of the sample. Using a Searle-type rotational rheometer, we measured the viscosity of eutectic gallium indium and tin in a low-oxygen environment. When either metal is slightly oxidized, the measured viscosity increases by orders of magnitude and the liquid displays erroneous shear-thinning behavior. When the oxide is removed via an active flux, the measured viscosity is Newtonian. The results outlined here provide insight into the difficulties of measuring the viscosity of easily oxidized liquids and confirm that liquid metals are likely best described as Newtonian liquids at all measured shear rates.