journal article·2026-01

Lightweight Bismuth‐Based Liquid Metal Composite

Ju Wang, Minghui Guo, Weichen Feng, Huili Zhang, Jingyi Li, Zhongshan Deng, Yong Zhang, Jinpeng Zhang, Jing Liu

Small· Volume 22· Issue 2
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract Bismuth (Bi)‐based liquid metals exhibit stable solid states at ambient conditions and efficient solid–liquid transitions at relatively low temperatures, enabling simplified encapsulation and easier modification compared with conventional room‐temperature liquid metals. However, their relatively high density imposes limitations in weight‐sensitive fields such as wearable devices, biomedical implants, or robotic systems. Here, this challenge is addressed by introducing hollow glass microspheres into a Bi‐based liquid metal alloy, developing a lightweight Bi‐based liquid metal composite (BLMC). The resulting composite demonstrates a density reduction exceeding 50% while maintaining excellent electrical conductivity, thermal performance, and mechanical strength. The embedded microspheres also impart a granular microstructure, significantly enhancing the material's plasticity and enabling improved structural support and stiffness tuning when used as fillings or coatings. Practical demonstrations highlight the applicability of BLMC as injectable bone cement, wearable device coatings, and thermally responsive shape‐memory materials. Additionally, finite element modeling provides insights into the microscale interactions between microspheres and alloy, elucidating stress distributions and heat transfer characteristics within the composite. Overall, this work holds promise for extending the application scope of bismuth‐based liquid metals, paving the way for developing lightweight, multifunctional alloys suitable for wearable and intelligent material systems.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Shape Memory Alloy Transformations · Cellular and Composite Structures · Metallic Glasses and Amorphous Alloys

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

Affiliations

Key Laboratory of Cryogenic Science and Technology Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100190 China

School of Biomedical Engineering Tsinghua University Beijing 100084 China

The Affiliated Qujing Hospital of Kunming Medical University Qujing Yunnan 655000 China

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