Towards the T-1000: Liquid Metals Propel Future Electronics
August 4, 2016 | RMIT UniversityEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

Science fiction is inching closer to reality with the development of revolutionary self-propelling liquid metals -- a critical step towards future elastic electronics.
While building a shape-shifting liquid metal T-1000 Terminator may still be far on the horizon, the pioneering work by researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, is setting the foundation for moving beyond solid state electronics towards flexible and dynamically reconfigurable soft circuit systems.
Modern electronic technologies like smart phones and computers are mainly based on circuits that use solid state components, with fixed metallic tracks and semiconducting devices.
But researchers dream of being able to create truly elastic electronic components -- soft circuit systems that can act more like live cells, moving around autonomously and communicating with each other to form new circuits rather than being stuck in one configuration.
Liquid metals, in particular non-toxic alloys of gallium, have so far offered the most promising path for realising that dream.
As well as being incredibly malleable, any droplet of liquid metal contains a highly-conductive metallic core and an atomically thin semiconducting oxide skin -- all the essentials needed for making electronic circuits.
To work out how to enable liquid metal to move autonomously, Professor Kourosh Kalantar-zadeh and his group from the School of Engineering at RMIT first immersed liquid metal droplets in water.
"Putting droplets in another liquid with an ionic content can be used for breaking symmetry across them and allow them to move about freely in three dimensions, but so far we have not understood the fundamentals of how liquid metal interacts with surrounding fluid," Kalantar-zadeh said.
"We adjusted the concentrations of acid, base and salt components in the water and investigated the effect.
"Simply tweaking the water's chemistry made the liquid metal droplets move and change shape, without any need for external mechanical, electronic or optical stimulants.
"Using this discovery, we were able to create moving objects, switches and pumps that could operate autonomously - self-propelling liquid metals driven by the composition of the surrounding fluid."
The research lays the foundation for being able to use "electronic" liquid metals to make 3D electronic displays and components on demand, and create makeshift and floating electronics.
"Eventually, using the fundamentals of this discovery, it may be possible to build a 3D liquid metal humanoid on demand - like the T-1000 Terminator but with better programming," Kalantar-zadeh said.
The research, which has potential applications in a range of industries including smart engineering solutions and biomedicine, is published on 4 August in Nature Communications.
In the paper, first author Dr Ali Zavabeti details the precise conditions in which liquid metals can be moved or stretched, how fluid on their surfaces moves around and -- as a result -- how they can make different flows.
The work also explains how the electric charges that accumulate on the surface of liquid metal droplets, together with their oxide skin, can be manipulated and used.
Suggested Items
Kasuo Electronics Launches Advanced Testing Laboratory to Strengthen Global Supply Chain Quality Assurance
04/29/2025 | BUSINESS WIREKasuo Electronics Co., Ltd, a globally recognized trader of electronic components, has officially operationalized its state-of-the-art testing laboratory.
QuantumScape, Murata Announce Framework for Ceramics Collaboration
04/25/2025 | BUSINESS WIREQuantumScape Corporation, a global leader in next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology, and Murata Manufacturing Co. have entered into the first phase of an agreement to explore a collaboration for high-volume manufacturing of ceramic film for QS’s solid-state battery technology.
IPC Welcomes Exemptions to Reciprocal Tariffs
04/14/2025 | IPCIPC shared the following statement today on tariff exclusions and their implications on the global electronics industry. This statement can be attributed to Dr. John W. Mitchell, IPC president and CEO:
ASMPT Demonstrates Technology Leadership in SMT Assembly
04/09/2025 | ASMPTThe rapid development of artificial intelligence is driving the demand for high-performance processors and placing great demands on electronics manufacturing.
Tariff Uncertainty Weighs on Display Demand, Pricing, and the Supply of AMOLED Materials,
04/09/2025 | TrendForceTrendForce reports that the U.S. began implementing reciprocal tariffs on April 9th, based largely on trade deficits. Consequently, Asia—particularly Southeast Asia, a key hub for the consumer electronics supply chain—has been significantly impacted.