Mechanically Rupturing Liquid Metal Oxide Induces Electrochemical Energy
Mechanically Rupturing Liquid Metal Oxide Induces Electrochemical Energy
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DOI：
10.1002/adfm.202309177
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发表时间：
2023-10-27
影响因子：
19
通讯作者：
Boley，John William
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ye，Xing;Zheng，Zhaoyi;Boley，John William
液态金属，如镓基合金，具有独特的机械和电学性能，因为它们在室温下表现为液体。这些特性使液态金属有利于制造软电子产品和可伸缩导体。此外，这些金属会自发在其表面形成一层薄薄的氧化层。这种微妙的氧化物外壳使其应用成为可能，包括形状可重新配置的电子产品、3D打印结构和非传统执行器。本文介绍了一种以液态金属氧化物作为电化学能源的新方法。液态金属通过机械地破坏其表面氧化物，形成电池组，并将其化学能转化为电能。当将液态金属分散到离子导电液体中形成乳液时，这种复合材料可以提供∼500 mV的开路电压和高达∼4μ的WOF功率。在自然生成的氧化皮的保护下，液态金属的钝化氧化层保护它不会随着时间的推移而自我放电。该设备在恶劣的环境中也是稳定的，例如高温或水上条件。通过设计应变激活的可伸缩电池和压敏自供电键盘，展示了该设备的未来应用。这些发现可能会开启设计可伸缩电池的新途径，并利用它们的固有能量来制造自供电的坚固的智能设备。
Liquid metals, such as Gallium‐based alloys, have unique mechanical and electrical properties because they behave like liquid at room temperature. These properties make liquid metals favorable for soft electronics and stretchable conductors. In addition, these metals spontaneously form a thin oxide layer on their surface. Applications made possible by this delicate oxide skin include shape reconfigurable electronics, 3D‐printed structures, and unconventional actuators. This paper introduces a new approach where liquid metal oxide serves as an electrochemical energy source. By mechanically rupturing their surface oxide, liquid metals form a galvanic cell and convert their chemical energy to electrical energy. When dispersing liquid metals into an ionically‐conductive liquid to form emulsions, this composite material can provide ∼500 mV of open‐circuit voltage and up to ∼4 μWof power. Protected by the naturally occurring oxide skin, the passivating oxide layer of the liquid metal shields it from self‐discharge over time. The device is also stable in harsh environments, such as high temperature or aquatic conditions. Future applications of this device are demonstrated by designing a strain‐activated stretchable battery and a pressure‐sensitive self‐powered keypad. These findings may unlock new pathways to design stretchable batteries and harness their inherent energy for self‐powered robust devices.