Liquid metal encapsulates having non-native shells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11715578-B2
Application number	US-202117337874-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2021
Priority date	Jul 12, 2019
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

The present invention relates to core shell liquid metal encapsulates comprising and processes of making and using such encapsulates and networks. The shell(s) of such encapsulates employ a palette of materials having widely varied band structures and/or the desired spin pairing and/or bond polarization. Such encapsulates can be designed to respond to one or more stimuli of choice, including but not limited to electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical, photonic, and/or magnetic and are environmentally robust.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process of producing an encapsulate comprising a liquid metal core and one or more shells that encapsulate said liquid metal core, said process comprising:
a) contacting a liquid metal core, said liquid metal core comprising a liquid metal selected from:
(i) Hg, In, Ga and mixtures thereof; and/or
(ii) an alloy comprising Hg, Sn, In, and/or Ga; and Pb, Sb, Cd, Bi, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, Tl and mixtures thereof;
with a two dimensional material said two dimensional material being selected from the group consisting of graphene oxide, graphene, modified graphene, modified graphene oxide, boron nitride, modified boron nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal tri-chalcogenides, clays, MXenes, and mixtures thereof; or

b) contacting a liquid metal core, said liquid metal core comprising a liquid metal selected from the group consisting of:
(i) Hg, In, Ga and mixtures thereof; and/or
(ii) an alloy comprising Hg, Sn, In, and/or Ga; and Pb, Sb, Cd, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, Tl, Bi, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Te, Gd, Hf, Pr, Nd, Pt, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, and/or Pu;
with one or more anions of N, F, P and/or S.

2. The process according to claim 1 wherein said liquid metal core that is contacted with said one or more anions of N, F, P and/or S, comprises Pb, Sb, Cd, Bi, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, and/or Tl.

3. The process according to claim 1 wherein said liquid metal core which has been contacted with said one or more anions of N, F, P and/or S is subsequently contacted with a material selected from the group consisting of silica, iron oxides, lanthanide oxides, silver, and mixtures thereof.

4. The process according to claim 1 wherein said contacting comprises dispersing said liquid metal core and said two dimensional material in a solvent selected from the group-consisting of water, aliphatic alcohols and mixtures thereof.

5. A process of producing an encapsulate comprising a liquid metal core and one or more shells that encapsulate said liquid metal core, said process comprising:
a) contacting a liquid metal core, said liquid metal core comprising a liquid metal selected from:
(i) Hg, In, Ga and mixtures thereof; and/or
(ii) an alloy comprising Hg, Sn, In, and/or Ga; and Pb, Sb, Cd, Bi, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, Tl and mixtures thereof;
with a two dimensional material said two dimensional material being selected from the group consisting of graphene oxide, graphene, modified graphene, modified graphene oxide, boron nitride, modified boron nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal tri-chalcogenides, clays, MXenes, and mixtures thereof; or

b) contacting a liquid metal core, said liquid metal core comprising a liquid metal selected from the group consisting of:
(i) Hg, In, Ga and mixtures thereof; and/or
(ii) an alloy comprising Hg, Sn, In, and/or Ga; and Pb, Sb, Cd, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, Tl, Bi, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Te, Gd, Hf, Pr, Nd, Pt, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Er, Yb, and/or Pu;
with one or more anions of O, N, F, P and/or S and subsequently contacting said liquid metal core which has been contacted with said one or more anions of O, N, F, P and/or S with a material selected from the group consisting of silica, iron oxides, lanthanide oxides, silver, and mixtures thereof.

6. A process of producing an encapsulate comprising a liquid metal core and one or more shells that encapsulate said liquid metal core, said process comprising:
a) contacting a liquid metal core, said liquid metal core comprising a liquid metal selected from:
(i) Hg, In, Ga and mixtures thereof; and/or
(ii) an alloy comprising Hg, Sn, In, and/or Ga; and Pb, Sb, Cd, Bi, Al, Zn, Ag, Au, Tl and mixtures thereof;
with a two dimensional material said two dimensional material being selected from the group consisting of graphene oxide, graphene, modified graphene, modified graphene oxide, boron nitride, modified boron nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal tri-chalcogenides, clays, MXenes, and mixtures thereof;

wherein said contacting comprises dispersing said liquid metal core and said two dimensional material in a solvent selected from the group-consisting of water, aliphatic alcohols and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Us Gov Air Force
• Us Air Force

Inventors

• Tabor Christopher E
• Farrell Zachary J
• Morris Nicholas J
• Creighton Megan A

Classifications

• H01B1/02 Primary

  mainly consisting of metals or alloys · CPC title

• C23C26/00

  Coating not provided for in groups C23C2/00 - C23C24/00 · CPC title