Liquid metals utilizing low melting point alloys have been increasingly explored over the last decade as an alternative solution to solid conductors where the need to withstand extreme mechanical stress is required. The unique mix of high conductivity and extremely low modulus (on par with human tissue) have made them a target for exploration and prototyping.
There has been some fascinating work through the academic literature whereby liquid metal is utilized in a variety of emerging embodiments such as: fibers, microcapsules, and interconnects. In order to fully embrace this new material set, however, the processing of these materials needs to become more routine and reliable while utilizing established techniques.
This talk will detail some of the unique properties of gallium based liquid metals, specifically focusing on work that has been done between AFRL and some important collaborators, leading to a new generation of liquid metal inks, ELMNT Inks, that can be utilized in screen printing, jet printing, and blade coating to allow rapid scale-up of textile based electronics, soft robotic circuitry, and dry electrodes for long-term physiological monitoring.
Dr. Christopher Tabor is a research lead within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). After graduating with a Ph.D. in chemistry from Georgia Tech in 2009, he joined AFRL first as a National Research Council Fellow performing research on plasmonic nanoparticle enhancement of organic photovoltaics and then as a staff scientist researching flexible and stretchable electronics, with an emphasis on room temperature liquid metals.
Dr. Tabor’s work has been highlighted in the defense technology media on multiple occasions, and he has published over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles in the area of optical and electronic properties of metals with 16 patents. He currently leads the Polymer and Responsive Materials and Process Research Team, exploring fundamental and early applied research on soft sensors and electronics, responsive structures, and resilient polymers.