Indian-origin scientist creates breakthrough material for soft electronics

Scientists including one of Indian origin, have created liquid metal marbles coated in nanoparticles, which they hope will advance research in soft electronics and industrial sensing technologies.

Lead investigator Vijay Sivan from RMIT’s Platform Technologies Research Institute said that these marbles are like flexible ball bearings, which can endure high impacts and temperatures, and operate like semi-conducting systems, the Herald Sun reported.

According to Sivan, these are still early days but the possibilities of the new platform appear to be “amazing,” as it overcomes the limitations of liquid metals.

Sivan said that as it is a liquid metal it can be used in soft electronics where flexibility is needed.

He said that as the marbles have a nanoparticle coating they will not stick on the surface and also by having a functional material as a coating it can be used it like a transistor.

And as a liquid metal, any damage caused in the circuit could be self-healed, he said.

He added that it could be used in optical sensing as a heavy metal sensor and it also has a high sensitivity to gas.

The multidisciplinary team research has been published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.