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Ion Exchange Membranes as an Interfacial Medium to Facilitate Gallium Liquid Metal Alloy Mobility
Author(s) -
Ilyas Nahid,
Butcher Dennis P.,
Durstock Michael F.,
Tabor Christopher E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201500665
Subject(s) - nafion , materials science , wetting , gallium , membrane , liquid metal , chemical engineering , microfluidics , microchannel , nanotechnology , metal , electrochemistry , electrode , composite material , metallurgy , chemistry , biochemistry , engineering
Liquid metal electronics represent a groundbreaking advancement in electronic reconfigurability. Replacing mercury with nontoxic gallium liquid metal alloys (GaLMAs) will provide a significant improvement toward this paradigm; however, the metallic residues left behind on surfaces that contact GaLMAs have prevented their broad application to date. This report describes a novel method to control the wetting characteristics of GaLMAs by utilizing an ion exchange membrane (IEM) as an interface material that gradually releases minute concentrations of HCl vapor which reacts with the GaLMA surface and thus prevents residue formation. A common IEM, Nafion, is shown to behave both as an effective HCl transport medium and as a source for HCl vapor, and the chemical and phenomenological interactions of Nafion and HCl with GaLMA fluids are characterized. Additionally, an application of Nafion toward GaLMA microfluidics is demonstrated by integrating commercially available extruded Nafion tubes and by utilizing a solution suspension of Nafion to coat an arbitrary silicone‐based microfluidic matrix material. Both methods proved effective in generating a reversible flow system that remained residue free for extended periods of time, which can be regenerated without the use of concentrated acidic solutions.