MSE 2024
Lecture
26.09.2024
In situ actuation of Gallium liquid metal alloys on polypyrrole coated electrodes
SB

Sagar Bhagwat (M.Sc.)

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Bhagwat, S. (Speaker)¹; Pezeshkpour, P.¹; Rapp, B.E.¹
¹University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau
Vorschau
17 Min. Untertitel (CC)

Gallium liquid metal alloys (GLMAs) such as a Gallium-Indium-Tin alloy (Galinstan) and Gallium-Indium eutectic (EGaIn) have seen an increasing interest in the fields of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics due to their negligible toxicity, high surface tensions (> 500 mN·m-1), water like viscosity and electrical conductivity (~0.64 × 107 S.m-1) comparable to classical solid metals. Despite of their advantageous properties, GLMAs instantaneously amalgamate and corrode most commonly used metals in microfluidics such as Gold (Au), Platinum (Pt), Titanium (Ti), Nickel (Ni) and Tungsten-Titanium (WTi), which limits their scalability and applicability. Alloying protective and stable electrode coatings are crucial for applications involving liquid metals in direct contact such as for e.g., actuators, switches and electronics. In this work, we first study the effect of actuating Galinstan droplets on various solid metal electrodes including Au, Pt, Ti, Ni, and WTi in electrically conductive solutions, and present the resulting corrosion/alloying effects by studying the interface morphology via SEM-EDX and XRD. We then present our proposed alloying protective coating which is based on a simple method to electrodeposit electrically conductive polypyrrole (PPy), a heterocyclic polymer containing C and N directly on the electrodes. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach by directly 3D printing a 500 µm microfluidic chip on a set of electrodes onto which PPy is electrodeposited in situ for actuation of Galinstan plugs. We show that the electrodeposited PPy is stable for over 150 continuous actuations, can be re-deposited as and when necessary, and is scalable for larger electrode areas. The developed protection protocol will provide a generic, widely applicable strategy to protect a wide range of electrodes from alloying and corrosion and thus form a key element in future applications of GLMAs.

Abstract

Abstract

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