Self-Moving Liquid Metal

locomotion. of copper The first bit of areas than others, This research

A shiny blob of liquid metal writhes and reshapes itself in a turquoise solution, stretching into tentacle-like forms and then bunching together. The educational narration explains its chemically driven serpentine locomotion, making the bizarre movement look like a tiny alien creature or living pile of worms. EN: A shiny blob of liquid metal writhes and reshapes itself in a turquoise solution, stretching into tentacle-like forms and then bunching together. The educational narration explains its chemically driven serpentine locomotion, making the bizarre movement look like a tiny alien creature or living pile of worms.

Watch this. This liquid metal is moving spontaneously. Researchers call it serpentine locomotion. It starts with the reaction of gallium in the metal with copper ions in the solution. This creates a coating of copper nanoparticles and lowers the surface tension of the alloy, which means the metal atoms at the surface don't stick together as tightly. The first bit of metal starts reacting with the solution right away before the trailing end can catch up, So the surface tension is squeezing it more strongly in some areas than others, and the stuff squishes around, just like if you squeeze a balloon. The metal keeps squishing until it reaches an equilibrium. Scientists are studying the ways this alloy responds to different ions in solution to learn how to control its movements. This research could help with the design of soft machines and electronics, but it's also just very fun to look at.

• @pokupkabitka / 47643 2025-01-19