Interfacial properties of liquid metal immersed in various liquids

Hypothesis:When gallium-based liquid metal (LM) droplets are injected through different solvent media, the oxygen solubility of the environment influences the droplet eccentricity. The formation of an oxide membrane in solvents can determine whether a bulk-scale droplet behaves in a liquidlike or solidlike manner. In the case of LM emulsions, the solvent's oxygen solubility leads to varying degrees of organic solvent adsorption. The adsorption of solvent molecules changes the surface energy of the oxide layer. Experiments:The pinch-off frames of LM droplets immersed in liquids with differing oxygen solubility were captured using a high-speed camera. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energydispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), the surface composition of micro and nanoscale LM emulsions in different solvents was investigated. The van Oss-Good model was implemented to determine the polar and nonpolar surface energy components of LM layers with adsorbates. Findings:Pear-shaped LM droplets displaying solidlike behavior are created when the mole fraction of dissolved oxygen in the ambient solution is above approximately 2:43 x 10-4. For LM emulsions sonicated in organic solvents, Carbon/Oxygen (C/O) and Carbon/Gallium (C/Ga) atomic percent ratios display an increasing trend with increasing oxygen solubility. The nonpolar component of surface energy shows a logarithmic relationship with the oxygen solubility of the solvent used to treat the LM layer. The polar component of surface energy is more susceptible to the chemical properties of the solvent. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The oxygen solubility in the solvent media affects the eccentricity and behavior of gallium-based liquid metal droplets. The formation of an oxide membrane determines whether the droplets behave in a liquidlike or solidlike manner. The adsorption of solvent molecules changes the surface energy of the oxide layer. The findings provide insights into the relationship between droplet behavior and solvent properties.