Liquid metal has the potential for application in the field of electronics and "soft" robotics (creating robots with non-rigid construction). Usually it is obtained by fusing gallium, tin and indium, but a thin layer of oxides is formed on the surface of the droplets, making the material sticky and unfit for use.
To get around this problem, the researchers developed a method for creating droplets, allowing them to change their properties. To this end, they immersed pieces of liquid metal in a solution of sodium hydroxide for three seconds to give them a spherical shape. Then they were treated with polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), during which the particles of the latter covered the outer layer of droplets.
As a result, scientists received elastic balls of metal that do not adhere to the surface. The new properties allowed the drops to freely slide under a bias of two degrees and bounce off when struck.
In the future, researchers plan to force the material to react to external irritants, changing its shape.
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