skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Zopf, Stephanie_F"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Abstract Gallium‐based liquid metal alloys (GaLMAs) have widespread applications ranging from soft electronics, energy devices, and catalysis. GaLMAs can be transformed into liquid metal emulsions (LMEs) to modify their rheology for facile patterning, processing, and material integration for GaLMA‐based device fabrication. One drawback of using LMEs is reduced electrical conductivity owing to the oxides that form on the surface of dispersed liquid metal droplets. LMEs thus need to be activated by coalescing liquid metal droplets into an electrically conductive network, which usually involves techniques that subject the LME to harsh conditions. This study presents a way to coalesce these droplets through a chemical reaction at mild temperatures (T∼ 80 °C). Chemical activation is enabled by adding halide compounds into the emulsion that chemically etch the oxide skin on the surface of dispersed droplets of eutectic gallium indium (eGaIn). LMEs synthesized with halide activators can achieve electrical conductivities close to bulk liquid metal (2.4 × 104S cm−1) after being heated. 3D printable chemically coalescing LME ink formulations are optimized by systematically exploring halide activator type and concentration, along with mixing conditions, while maximizing for electrical conductivity, shape retention, and compatibility with direct ink writing (DIW). The utility of this ink is demonstrated in a hybrid 3D printing process to create a battery‐integrated light emitting diode array, followed by a nondestructive low temperature heat activation that produces a functional device. 
    more » « less
  2. A strain-induced electrically conductive liquid metal emulsion for the programmable assembly of soft conductive composites is reported. This emulsion exhibits the shear yielding and shear thinning rheology required for direct ink writing. Examples of complex self-supported 3D printed structures with spanning features are presented to demonstrate the 3D printability of this emulsion. Stretchable liquid metal composites are fabricated by integrating this emulsion into a multi-material printing process with a 3D printable elastomer. The as-printed composites exhibit a low electrical conductivity but can be transformed into highly conductive composites by a single axial strain at low stresses ([Formula: see text] 0.3 MPa), an order of magnitude lower than other mechanical sintering approaches. The effects of axial strain and cyclic loading on the electrical conductivities of these composites are characterized. The electrical conductivity increases with activation strain, with a maximum observed relaxed conductivity of 8.61 × 105S⋅m−1, more than 300% higher than other mechanical sintering approaches. The electrical conductivity of these composites reaches a steady state for each strain after one cycle, remaining stable with low variation ([Formula: see text] standard deviation) over 1000 cycles. The strain sensitivities of these composites are quantitatively analyzed. All samples exhibit strain sensitivities that are lower than a bulk conductor throughout all strains. The printed composites showed low hysteresis at high strains, and high hysteresis at low strains, which may be influenced by the emulsion internal structure. The utility of these composites is shown by employing them as wiring into a single fabrication process for a stretchable array of LEDs. 
    more » « less