What is Liquid Metal?

Liquid metal Technology

Liquid metal alloy are a revolutionary class of materials that redefines performance and cost paradigms. The superior properties of Liquid metal alloys are made possible by revolutionary scientific and technological innovations. Liquid metal alloys represent the first enabling materials technology since the creation of thermoplastics and possess characteristics that make them superior in many ways to other commercially-viable materials. First, they have an "amorphous" atomic structure, which is unprecedented for structural metals. Second, they include a multi-component chemical composition, which can be optimized for various properties and processes. Finally, they lend themselves to process technology similar to that possessed by plastics. An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. ... A thermoplastic is a plastic that softens when heated and hardens again when cooled. ...

The technology of Liquid metal alloys provides for the optimization of properties for specific applications by tailoring the combination of process, chemistry and atomic structure. The technology of Liquid metal alloys is proprietary and covered by numerous existing or pending patents.

Atomic Structure of Liquid metal Alloys

The atomic structure is the most striking characteristic of the Liquidmetal alloy as it fundamentally differentiates Liquidmetal alloys from ordinary metals. An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resultant material has metallic properties. ... For alternative meanings see metal (disambiguation). ...

The atomic structure of ordinary or conventional metals and alloys is periodic, where the layout of atomic elements shows repeating patterns over an extended range. This atomic structure is called "crystalline" and limits the overall performance of conventional metals.

Liquidmetal alloys possess an "amorphous" atomic structure, which is truly unique. By contrast to the crystalline structure, no discernable patterns exist in the atomic structure of the unique Liquidmetal alloys. As such, properties superior to the limits of conventional metals can be achieved.

Properties of Liquid metal

This amorphous atomic structure leads to a unique set of characteristic properties for the family of Liquidmetal alloys.

These characteristic properties are:

• High Yield Strength • High Hardness • Superior Strength/Weight Ratio • Superior Elastic Limit • High Corrosion Resistance • High Wear-Resistance • Unique acoustics Properties Corrosion, atmospheric and biologic (Barnacles) Corrosion is deterioration of useful properties in a material due to reactions with its environment. ... Acoustics is a branch of physics and is the study of sound, mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids. ...

One of the direct results of the unique atomic structure of Liquidmetal alloys is very high yield strength, which approaches the theoretical limit and far exceeds the strength currently available in crystalline metals and alloys. For example, yield strength of over 250 ksi has been achieved in Zr-base and Ti-base Liquidmetal alloys (VIT-001 series). This is more than twice the strength of conventional titanium alloys. General Name, Symbol, Number titanium, Ti, 22 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 4, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 47. ...

Another unique property of Liquidmetal alloys is the superior elastic limit; i.e., the ability to retain its original shape (memory) after undergoing very high loads and stress. Furthermore, the Liquidmetal alloys have much higher corrosion and wear resistance than their conventional (crystalline) counterparts due to the unique atomic structure. By varying chemical composition, some properties within the family of Liquidmetal alloys can be optimized even further.