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Self-Powered Gallium-Based Liquid-Metal Beating Heart
journal contribution
posted on 2019-10-16, 11:34 authored by Liting Yi, Qian Wang, Jing LiuMercury beating heart
is a well-known phenomenon that consists
of a mercury droplet covered with aqueous acid and an iron nail. However,
mercury is highly poisonous, and its vapor is especially dangerous.
Thus, related studies and applications on mercury have often been
hindered. Here, we proposed another beating heart but employed a different
material, i.e., GaIn alloy with low toxicity. A stainless steel wire
was utilized to touch the side of the liquid-metal droplet in basic
solution. Based on this method, periodic oscillation could be kept
continuous and steady. This finding suggests a more feasible and safer
way to realize beating behaviors, which would shed light on a variety
of future applications, such as pump and mixer for the mini device.