Calculations predict that the radioactive metals copernicium (Cn) and flerovium (Fl) should also be liquid at room temperature.
A physical model for the viscosity of liquid metals, which captures this great variability in terms of the underlying interatomic interactions, was also developed.
[10] Note: These alloys form a thin dull looking oxide skin that is easily dispersed with mild agitation.
Due to their free-flowing nature, another potential application is wearable and medical devices, where material deformability is important.
In fact, a wire constructed of this material can be stretched to 3 or even 5 times its length and still conduct electricity, returning to its original size and shape with no loss.
[12] Due to their unique combination of high surface tension and fluidic deformability, liquid metals are useful for creating soft actuators.
[16][17][18] For instance, a liquid metal droplet can be designed to bridge two moving parts (e.g., in robotic systems) in such a way to generate contraction when the surface tension increases.
[19] The principles of muscle-like contraction in liquid metal actuators have been studied for their potential as a next-generation artificial muscle that offers several liquid-specific advantages over other solid materials.