Transformable Biomimetic Liquid Metal Chameleon

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel liquid metal-based chameleon that can change colors, shapes, and split or merge, responding to electric stimuli, with potential applications in smart materials and soft robotics.

Contribution

It presents a new biomimetic liquid metal marble capable of stable color and shape transformations, including splitting and merging, triggered by electric stimuli.

Findings

Able to change colors and shapes on demand

Can split and merge among different colors

Responds to electric stimuli to trigger particle release

Abstract

Liquid metal (LM) is of current core interest for a wide variety of newly emerging areas. However, the functional materials thus made so far by LM only could display a single silver-white appearance. Here in this study, the new conceptual colorful LM marbles working like transformable biomimetic chameleons were proposed and fabricated from LM droplets through encasing them with fluorescent nano-particles. We demonstrated that this unique LM marble can be manipulated into various stable magnificent appearances as one desires. And it can also splitt and merge among different colors. Such multifunctional LM chameleon is capable of responding to the outside electric-stimulus and realizing shape transformation and discoloration behaviors as well. Further more, the electric-stimuli has been disclosed to be an easy going way to trigger the release of nano/micro-particles from the LM. The present fluorescent biomimetic liquid metal chameleon is expected to offer important opportunities for diverse unconventional applications, especially in a wide variety of functional smart material and color changeable soft robot areas.