Dispersion of Polymers in Metallic Gallium

This work examines the concept of dispersing polymers in metals. Herein, this was mainly studied with molten gallium, in which 5-18wt% of various short-chain polymers were incorporated and mixed. The nature of the solidified products was examined by using X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, UV/Vis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermal gravimetric analyses. It was found that some polymers can be dispersed as small domains within molten metals to form a heterogeneous solid. The ability to dope Ga with large polymers opens a new avenue to electronic materials.