Caiden Parker, RMIT
Liquid metal alloys are an ever growing industry with a myriad of potential applications such as catalysis, and electronics.1 Unfortunately, the full potential of these materials are under-utilised and is outside the scope of other research parameters.2 Herein, nanodroplet alloyed materials are probed and investigated with the use of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), thus unlocking the potential these materials may contain.3
This research paved a way to synthesise ‘planet-like’ nanodroplets whereby interesting crystallisation and dissolution phenomena are revealed. During the first stages of dissolution, atoms from the intermetallic are dynamic, creating an unusual phenomenon known as surface melting. Here an equilibrium reaction between crystalline and dissolved state are directly observed far below the melting point.
This can be best portrayed within Figure 1 whereby the dynamic equilibria are represented via atomic modelling. Since metals are an integral part of life, observing these conditions reveals a major influence that can relate to stability and integrity in crystal lattices. So far, experimentally observing such conditions are never before seen in metallic systems, therefore creating a new and exciting avenue to pursue.
AIMD mechanism modelling
Figure 1: AIMD mechanism modelling for [013] facet melting. Specific atom movement are highlighted in orange.
- Daeneke, T. et al. Liquid metals: fundamentals and applications in chemistry. Chem. Soc. Rev. 47, 4073-4111 (2018). https://doi.org:10.1039/c7cs00043j
- Kalantar-Zadeh, K. et al. Emergence of Liquid Metals in Nanotechnology. ACS Nano 13, 7388-7395 (2019). https://doi.org:10.1021/acsnano.9b04843
- Parker, C. J. et al. Synthesis of Planet‐Like Liquid Metal Nanodroplets with Promising Properties for Catalysis. Adv. Funct. Mater. (2023). https://doi.org:10.1002/adfm.202304248
About the presenter
Caiden is a PhD student working with Associate Investigator Torben Daeneke to undertake a PhD that relates to liquid metal fundamentals, having completed an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering. His work fits in FLEET Research Theme 2, Exciton Superfluids and Enabling Technology A, Atomically-thin Materials.