What is Liquidmetal?

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."

How is it made?

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.

Why Liquidmetal?

Liquidmetal is a revolutionary breakthrough in the material world. It is an alloy that has

remarkable qualities and has been shown to have three times the elasticity of other alloys. It

is also scratch resistant, malleable at low temperatures, and can be moulded into complex

shapes. The current uses of liquid metal are not substantial, however it may be used as a

substitute for hard plastics, titanium, and other delicate machinery in future technological

ventures.

What are the potential uses of Liquidmetal?

Currently Liquidmetal is being used in various fields such as Sports equipment, electronic protection, space

exploration and some military uses (Kinetic energy shells), though it is currently beginning developed for a

wider range of uses due to its very unique properties as well as having as well an affordable price point of

$5 per 100g.

It can also be applied in wearable goods as a strong threading in high quality clothing such as Jeans, jackets

and in shoes and boots, as the material is not particularly heavy. This can use also be extended to body

armour lining as this material is strong and flexible which would allow a larger range of movement.

Through investigation it has been found that Liquidmetal is a cheaper alternative to hard plastics and steel,

as it contain properties of both these materials. This can be useful in replacing the materials used in watch

gears and clocks.

Liquidmetal also offers new options for jewellery as it can be easily moulded into intricate shapes which

are then plated in more precious metals such as gold or silver. This would make usually expensive material

more readily available to the broader public.

Liquidmetal is flexible and retains its shape well. This would be ideal for the creation of new bicycle

spokes and gears. It is also non-corrosive and will last through very extreme weather conditions.

The material may be used to create delicate instruments and tools to be used in medicine and space

technology.

A-atomic structure of

Liquidmetal

School- St Davids Marist Inanda; Teacher- Mrs Dell; Students- Mohamed Fayaaz Cassim, Loyiso Zinzombe ,

Valerio Vernetti

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.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquidmetal

http://gizmodo.com/5614154/giz-explains-what-is-liquidmetal

http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-

phones/liquidmetal-what-it-is-and-why-you-should-care-1083874

http://liquidmetal.com/