title: Electrochemically induced actuation of liquid metal marbles.
abstract: Controlled actuation of soft objects with functional surfaces in aqueous environments presents opportunities for liquid phase electronics, novel assembled super-structures and unusual mechanical properties. We show the extraordinary electrochemically induced actuation of liquid metal droplets coated with nanoparticles, so-called "liquid metal marbles". We demonstrate that nanoparticle coatings of these marbles offer an extra dimension for affecting the bipolar electrochemically induced actuation. The nanoparticles can readily migrate along the surface of liquid metals, upon the application of electric fields, altering the capacitive behaviour and surface tension in a highly asymmetric fashion. Surprising actuation behaviours are observed illustrating that nanoparticle coatings can have a strong effect on the movement of these marbles. This significant novel phenomenon, combined with unique properties of liquid metal marbles, represents an exciting platform for enabling diverse applications that cannot be achieved using rigid metal beads.
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
authors.forename: Shi-Yang
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Vijay
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sivan
authors.forename: Khashayar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khoshmanesh
authors.forename: Anthony P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: O'Mullane
authors.forename: Xinke
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Berrak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gol
authors.forename: Nicky
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eshtiaghi
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lieder
authors.forename: Phred
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Arnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Kourosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kalantar-zadeh