Liquid Metals

Published on Sep 03, 2020

Abstract
Liquid metals have many fluid properties in common with non-metallic liquids, and many metallic
properties in common with solid metals. In recent years experimental techniques familiar in solid-
state physics have been helping to increase our empirical knowledge of fluid metals. At the same
time attempts have been made to form conceptual links between liquid-state physics and metal
physics.

In this activity,
Visitors will understand that the nano-scale structure of amorphous metals determines their
elasticity.

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Introduction
Contrary to its name, Liquidmetal is not liquid, but a manufactured material made from metals
such as Titanium, Copper, Aluminium, and Nickel. It is synthesised by a company of the same
name, ’Liquidmetal Technologies’. Liquidmetal belongs to a group of metallic alloys known as the
bulk metallic glasses. This is because it shares properties with glasses such as impact brittleness
and lack of a fixed melting point. Liquidmetal is flexible, malleable, easy to mould into intricate
shapes, non-corrosive, scratch resistant, and is harder than Titanium as it is not crystalline in
structure. How does it feel to work with Liquidmetal? In the words of the Director of Advanced
Materials at WSU. "In a thin card or rod form, it feels much more flexible than stainless steel or
Aluminium. However, as you bend it more, it feels much stronger and will require much more
force to bend... One can think of Liquidmetal alloy as a much stronger plastic."
The fundamental difference between Liquidmetal and other alloys is the cooling process during
manufacturing. Instead of simply mixing alloys and quickly cooling them, Liquidmetal is cooled by
itself at room temperature, changing its atomic structure. Liquidmetal has a rather chaotic atomic
structure as appose to the crystalline structure of most other metals. This allows the alloy to
retain its shape similar to a liquid. It also has no directional grains like other metals. Liquidmetal
is also easier to make than other materials, as it can be cooled, ready-made, in larger quantities.

Materials
Real Product
• Cylindrical base of aluminum
• Cylindrical base of aluminum with amorphous metal disk
• 2 plastic tubes
• 2 small metal balls
• Graphic of regular metal atomic structure

Macro-scale
• Cylindrical base of fragmented glass
• Cylindrical base of fragmented glass with solid glass disk
• 2 plastic tubes (same as for Real Product)
• 2 glass marbles
• “Regular metal” frame
• “Amorphous metal” frame
• Graphic of amorphous metal products

Procedure:
Set-up:
1. Keep tubes, balls, and marbles in the storage container to prevent them from rolling away (a
paper cup can be handy for the balls). You may want to store the frames out of sight for optional
use with older visitors.

Doing the demonstration:

1. Show visitors the two metal bases and ask what differences they observe between the
surfaces. Place a plastic tube over each metal base. Give the 2 small metal balls to a visitor and
have them drop one ball into each tube at the same time. The ball on the amorphous metal
surface will bounce longer. (Optional: Switch the balls around and repeat to show that the effect
is not to due to a difference in the balls.)
2. Use the graphic to explain that the difference in bouncing is due to the nano-scale structure of
the metals. The graphic is a scanning electron micrograph showing how a regular metal is
composed of tiny chunks with edges in between where the ball loses energy. In contrast, an
amorphous metal (“amorphous” = having no shape) is one blob of metal, with very few cracks to
dissipate energy. Bounce the ball in the respective tubes as you talk to emphasize the
phenomenon.
3. The macro-scale model made from glass demonstrates the same idea. Explain that the glass
bases are made of chunks of glass stuck together, while one base has a solid glass disk on the
surface. Ask visitors to identify which surface represents the amorphous metal. Place a plastic
tube over each glass base. Give the 2 marbles to a visitor and have them drop one marble into
each tube at the same time. The marble will bounce longer on the solid glass disk.
4. Allow younger visitors to explore the “trampoline” phenomenon further with different
combinations of balls and bases, or proceed to step 7. For older visitors familiar with the concept
of atoms, bring out the two frames to explain the difference in atomic structure. The balls
represent individual atoms that make up the metal.
5. Show visitors the “regular metal” frame first. Ask visitors how many sizes of balls they see.
Shake the frame and hold it at a gentle angle to allow the balls to settle. Since the atoms are all
the same size they try to line up, but there are edges in the structure where different parts of the
metal do not come together properly – this is how the chunks and cracks form. (By orienting the
frame diagonally, you can collect the balls in a corner to induce more irregularities in the pattern.)
6. Next show visitors the “amorphous metal” frame. Ask visitors how many sizes of balls they
see. Again, shake up the frame and then allow the balls to settle. This time, since atoms of
different sizes are mixed together, they do not fit together in an organized pattern and there are
very few edges.
7. Use the product graphic to show how amorphous metals are used in everyday products
because they are more elastic and durable. They are being used in the hinges of cell phones, in
sports equipment (where amorphous metal can help drive a ball further given the extra bounce of
the ball), and in casings for small electronics.

Clean-up:
1. Gather all materials and return to storage.

Explanation:
The atomic structure of a solid material is extremely important in determining its physical and
chemical properties. A typical metal is polycrystalline, meaning that it is made up of many small
crystalline grains (i.e. chunks) that are stuck together. Each grain consists of a single ordered
crystalline arrangement of atoms. The cracks between grains are called "grain boundaries." The
crystals often contain missing atoms, impurities of other materials, or misaligned planes of
atoms. Upon an impact with a crystalline metal, these weak points will deform and dissipate
kinetic energy. (In particular, energy is lost when planes of atoms slip past each other at a weak
point called a dislocation). However, these defects can also be functionally important. For
example, copper wire is flexible because the misaligned planes slip easily along one another.
Unlike crystalline metals, amorphous metals contain few of these types of defects. Amorphous
metals are alloys containing atoms of multiple sizes that do not fit into an organized arrangement.
When heated to a molten state, there is little free space between the atoms. If atoms of enough
different sizes are present, crystals do not form during solidification even when cooled at a slow
rate. One company that has pioneered the commercial application of amorphous metals is
Liquidmetal® Technologies (named for the preservation of the molten state atomic arrangement
in the solid form). Liquidmetal®, from which the amorphous metal disk in this demonstration is
made, is composed of five different elements: zirconium, beryllium, titanium, copper, and nickel.
Not all alloys are amorphous – stainless steel is a crystalline alloy in which the repeating
structural unit consists of more than one atom.
Liquidmetal® products extend beyond everyday applications; industrial coatings, armor-piercing
ammunition for the military, and surgical blades are all being developed with amorphous metals.
Advantages include not only resilience and strength but also the ability to be molded into near-
final shape. However, when an amorphous metal does break, it tends to crack and fall apart
rather than just bend and deform. Scientists are trying to mix different types of metals together to
create alloys that have both amorphous regions and nanometer-sized crystalline regions. This
mixture of two different kinds of structures strengthens the alloy by making it easier to bend but
harder to crack. Amorphous metals can also cost more than regular metals. One high-end cell
phone with a leather casing inlaid with Liquidmetal® costs thousands of dollars – but it can
survive being run over with a car!
Amorphous materials exist in nature as well, such as obsidian, a type of volcanic rock formed
from lava. Here, the lack of organized structure is not due to differently sized atoms; instead, the
material cools so quickly that even though the atoms are the same size, they have no time to
form an ordered arrangement.
What Could Go Wrong?
Keep balls and marbles in the storage container when not in use to prevent loss or swallowing by
small children. If lost, any small ball with some mass should work. A plastic ball is too light – most
of the deformation upon impact is in the plastic, not in the metal surface, so both metals can
bounce back almost equally well.
Over time, the aluminum base will acquire dents where the ball has bounced on it. This is a
normal result of many impacts causing permanent deformation. Explain this to interested visitors
as a visible accumulation of repeated nano-scale atomic movement.
If any golf enthusiasts want to try bouncing golf balls off the faces of a regular club vs. a
Liquidmetal® club, note that the balls must be dropped from a much greater height (at least a
few feet) or a much larger, more massive metal ball must be used in order to observe an effect.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, liquid metal is a material that has been developed to be usable in many future and
present technological advances, be it in medicine, biochemistry, space technology, or just
commercial products. Liquid metal is the technology of the future and will help us build a better
tomorrow forlater generations.

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nanotechnology in textiles. Text. Res. J. 2008, 78, 731–739.
3. Vazquez, F. Silicone softeners for stain repellent and stain resistance fabric finishing. Dyes
and Chemicals 2004, Available online:
http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/7/619/siliconesofteners-for-stain-repellent-and-
stain-release-fabric-finishing6.asp