journal article·2026-03Open access

Printed Liquid Metal–Solid Metal Hybrid Electrodes for Stabilizing Liquid Platinum–Gallium Droplets During Electrocatalysis

Muhammad Hamza Nazir, Imtisal Zahid, Caiden J. Parker, Ali Zavabeti, Karma Zuraiqi, Vaishnavi Krishnamurthi, Nastaran Meftahi, Kourosh Kalantar‐Zadeh, Andrew J. Christofferson, Ken Chiang, Dan Yang, Torben Daeneke

Small· Volume 22· Issue 15

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dispersing catalytically active gallium (Ga)‐based liquid metal (LM) nano‐ and micro‐droplets onto solid metallic mesh substrates remains challenging due to their strong tendency to either agglomerate or migrate away from the substrate. Another challenge is the reactivity of Ga with support metals, often forming discrete solid intermetallic phases. Here, we develop a 3D matrix formed by fused tungsten nanoparticles (W NPs) to physically entrap Ga‐based LM nano‐droplets, which effectively prevent their agglomeration and stabilize their reactive surface. Printing these W/LM composites onto a porous substrate (e.g., molybdenum (Mo) mesh) further promoted their dispersion and brought about enhanced electrochemical reactivity. To verify the efficiency of this strategy, we printed Pt‐in‐Ga droplets mixed with W NPs onto porous Mo substrate and evaluated their performance by two model reactions‐CO 2 RR (CO 2 reduction reaction) and HER (Hydrogen evolution reaction). The printed showed remarkable stability and reactivity toward both reactions. In addition, computational investigations revealed distinct active motifs for these two reactions, supporting the notion that adaptive LM catalysts can facilitate diverse reaction pathways depending on the targeted reactions.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering RMIT University Melbourne VIC Australia

Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute The University of Melbourne Parkville Victoria Australia

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering The University of Sydney Darlington NSW Australia

School of Science STEM College RMIT University Melbourne Victoria Australia

Department of Chemical Engineering The University of Western Australia Perth Western Australia Australia

Funding

Australian Research Council

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