posted on 2022-06-01, 20:03authored byXiaonan Zhu, Fei Yang, Haoran Wang, Siyuan Zhao, Yi Wu, Shi-Yang Tang, Mingzhe Rong
Soft electronic components
possess the potential to be developed
into next-generation electrical devices that can provide superior
performance to solid-state counterparts. Among commonly used components,
electrical switches are an essential control element in electrical
and electronic systems. Both solid-state mechanical and semiconductor
switches are blamed for some intrinsic shortcomings. For example,
the former suffers from contact surface degradation, while the latter
functions with a high conduction loss. To overcome the limitations,
here, a liquid metal (LM)-enabled electrical switch is reported by
incorporating a Galinstan liquid bridge into a pair of solid electrodes.
The electrical switch operation is realized by the coalescence of
LM droplets and the breakup of the LM bridge. Extraordinarily, the
device is capable of interrupting a DC 220 V, 1–5 A circuit
within 11 ms, outperforming a common mechanical switch by a factor
of 4–20 in terms of interruption speed. During the breakup
process of an LM bridge in the presence of a current, three regimes
characterized by electrical arc behaviors are identified and investigated.
The rupture distance formed before pinch-off is critical to regulate
the arc plasma behaviors. The presented applications and discoveries
have a vast potential in both practical technologies, involving high-current
electrical and electronic equipment, and fundamental research fields
relevant to soft electronics, fluid mechanics, and plasma science.