Liquid metal

For other uses, see Liquid metal (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Liquidmetal.
Liquid gallium metal, at 30°C (86°F).

A liquid metal is a metal or a metal alloy which is liquid at or near room temperature.[1]

The only stable liquid elemental metal at room temperature is mercury (Hg), which is molten above −38.8 °C (234.3 K, −37.9 °F). Three more stable elemental metals melt just above room temperature: caesium (Cs), which has a melting point of 28.5 °C (83.3 °F); gallium (Ga) (30 °C [86 °F]); and rubidium (Rb) (39 °C [102 °F]). The radioactive metal francium (Fr) is probably liquid close to room temperature as well. Calculations predict that the radioactive metals copernicium (Cn) and flerovium (Fl) should also be liquid at room temperature.[2]

Alloys can be liquid if they form a eutectic, meaning that the alloy's melting point is lower than any of the alloy's constituent metals. The standard metal for creating liquid alloys used to be mercury, but gallium-based alloys, which are lower both in their vapor pressure at room temperature and toxicity, are being used as a replacement in various applications.[3][4]

  1. ^ Neumann, Taylor V.; Dickey, Michael D. (2020). "Liquid Metal Direct Write and 3D Printing: A Review". Advanced Materials Technologies. 5 (9): 2000070. doi:10.1002/admt.202000070. ISSN 2365-709X.
  2. ^ Mewes, Jan-Michael; Schwerdtfeger, Peter (11 February 2021). "Exclusively Relativistic: Periodic Trends in the Melting and Boiling Points of Group 12". Angewandte Chemie. 60 (14): 7703–7709. doi:10.1002/anie.202100486. PMC 8048430. PMID 33576164.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kleiner was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Tang was invoked but never defined (see the help page).