journal article·2026-03

Mechanochemically Activatable Liquid Metal Powders for Sustainable, Reconfigurable, and Versatile Electronics

Osman Gul, Junseong Ahn, Hye Jin Kim, Xinge Yu, Inkyu Park

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 22
Publisher page

Abstract

Abstract While liquid metals possess exceptional electrical conductivity, their integration into stretchable and recyclable electronics remains constrained. High surface tension causes poor adhesion and uncontrolled spreading, and current processing methods often lack scalability or recyclability, limiting broader adoption in soft robotics, wearable healthcare, and sustainable systems. Here, a class of mechanochemically activatable liquid metal powders (MALMPs) is introduced that decouple conductivity from fluidity, enabling ambient stable, recyclable, and user‐defined soft circuits. Sonication dispersion of eutectic gallium–indium in carbonyl‐rich solvents yields core–shell particles with oxide‐stabilized surfaces. These powders remain electrically inert under ambient conditions but can be locally activated by mechanical pressure, which ruptures the shell to restore conductivity. This mechanism allows dry‐state patterning on a wide range of substrates, including flexible, stretchable, and biological surfaces, followed by localized fluidization upon mechanical activation to induce conductivity. MALMPs maintain stable conductivity under >10 000 stretching cycles and 700% strain and can be fully recycled via mild sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment. Demonstrations across transient and reconfigurable circuits, human–machine interfaces, and skin‐conformal systems highlight the versatility and scalability of the platform for next‐generation electronics.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials · Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies · Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity

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

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) 291 Daehak‐ro, Yuseong‐gu Daejeon 34141 Republic of Korea

Department of Control and Instrumentation Engineering Korea University Sejong 30019 Republic of Korea

Intelligent Components and Sensors Research Section Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute (ETRI) 218 Gajeong‐ro Yuseong‐gu Daejeon 34129 Republic of Korea

Department of Advanced Device Technology University of Science and Technology Daejeon 34113 Republic of Korea

Department of Biomedical Engineering City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR 999077 China

Funding

National Research Foundation of Korea

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