科學家們創(chuàng)造了世界上第一個液態(tài)金屬晶格

科學家們創(chuàng)造了世界上第一個液態(tài)金屬晶格

Researchers have developed the world's first liquid metal lattice, a design that could pave the way for devices that fully heal themselves when damaged.

研究人員已經(jīng)開發(fā)出世界上第一個液態(tài)金屬晶格，這一設計可能為設備受損后完全自我修復鋪平道路。

The team from Bingham University has already built several structures with it, from soccer balls to honeycombs to even a not-at-all creepy hand.

賓漢姆大學的研究小組已經(jīng)用它建造了好幾個建筑，從足球到蜂巢，甚至還有不怎么令人毛骨悚然的手。

CHRISTIAN COTRONEO

Describing the process in the journal Additive Manufacturing, their take on liquid metal begins with Field's alloy — a kind of metal made from bismuth, indium, and tin that melts at the relatively low temperature of 62 degrees Celsius. That's low enough to melt in hot water. But when the alloy is cooled, it solidifies, becoming as tough as most other metals.

他們在《添加劑制造》雜志上描述了這一過程，他們對液態(tài)金屬的研究始于菲爾德的合金——一種由鉍、銦和錫制成的金屬，能在相對較低的62攝氏度的溫度下熔化。這個溫度低到足以在熱水中融化。但當合金冷卻時，它會凝固，變得像大多數(shù)其他金屬一樣堅硬。

The technique involves 3D-printing a lattice or skeleton for a structure from Field's alloy. Then the lattice is filled with a layer of rubber. Think of it like skin over the bones that protect our own organs. As long as the temperature remains below 62 degrees, the structure stays rigid and intact.

這項技術涉及到用菲爾德的合金3d打印結(jié)構(gòu)的晶格或骨架。然后在格子里填上一層橡膠。把它想象成保護我們自己器官的骨頭上的皮膚。只要溫度保持在62度以下，結(jié)構(gòu)就會保持剛性和完整。

But when the temperature rises above that mark, the Field's alloy does its melting act. The thing is, the rubber layer still keeps everything together — only now, the structure can be bent, shaped and even pressed into a pancake. Let the alloy cool and it hardens again. But the rubber shell pulls the alloy back into its original form.

但是當溫度超過這個界限時，磁場中的合金就會發(fā)生熔化作用。問題是，橡膠層仍然保持所有東西在一起——只是現(xiàn)在，結(jié)構(gòu)可以彎曲，成形，甚至壓成薄餅。讓合金冷卻，它又變硬了。但是橡膠殼將合金拉回原來的形狀。

"Without the shell, it won't work, because the liquid metal will flow away," Zhang explains in a press release. "The shell skeleton controls the overall shape and integrity, so the liquid metal itself can be confined in the channels. We spent over half a year developing this manufacturing process, because this new lattice material is very hard to process. You need to find the best materials and processing parameters."

張在一份新聞稿中解釋道:“沒有外殼，它就無法工作，因為液態(tài)金屬會流失。外殼骨架控制著整體的形狀和完整性，因此液態(tài)金屬本身可以被限制在管道中。”我們花了半年多的時間來開發(fā)這種制造工藝，因為這種新的格子材料很難加工。你需要找到最佳的材料和工藝參數(shù)。”

If you're getting a Terminator vibe here, lead researcher Pu Zhang doesn't blame you. Liquid metal literally came from the future in the 1991 classic sci-fi film.

如果你有終結(jié)者的感覺，首席研究員張璞并不責怪你。液態(tài)金屬實際上來自于1991年的經(jīng)典科幻電影《未來》。

"To be honest, I've never watched that movie!" Zhang notes in the press release.

“說實話，我從來沒看過那部電影!”張在新聞稿中提到。

This wouldn't be the first time scientists have experimented with liquid metal. Last year, Chinese researchers took an even more direct page from Terminator by demonstrating how highly deformable alloys like gallium can be infused with magnetic particles like nickel and iron to create a liquid metal that can be sculpted with magnets. That research, they noted, could lead to shape-shifting, or soft, robots that, hopefully, won't make war on the human race.

這不是科學家第一次用液態(tài)金屬做實驗。去年，中國研究人員從《終結(jié)者》中獲得了更直接的一頁，展示了如何將高度可變形的合金(比如鎵)與鎳和鐵等磁性粒子混合，從而制造出可以用磁鐵雕刻的液態(tài)金屬。他們指出，這項研究可能會催生變形機器人，或稱軟體機器人，希望它們不會對人類發(fā)動戰(zhàn)爭。

The potential for the new liquid metal lattice, on the other hand, is mostly out of this world. Spacefaring vessels and even satellites don't encounter any wind resistance or atmospheric friction of any kind. So the low melting point of Fields alloy isn't an issue. But they do get banged around a lot.

另一方面，這種新型液態(tài)金屬晶格的潛力很大。航天飛船甚至衛(wèi)星都不會遇到任何形式的風阻或大氣摩擦。所以菲爾茲合金的低熔點不是問題。但它們確實經(jīng)常被撞。

"A spacecraft may crash if it lands on the moon or Mars with some kind of impact," Zhang explains in the release. "Normally, engineers use aluminium or steel to produce the cushion structures, but after you land on the moon, the metal absorbs the energy and deforms. It's over — you can use it only once.

張在新聞稿中解釋道:“如果一艘宇宙飛船在月球或火星著陸時受到某種撞擊，它可能會墜毀。”通常情況下，工程師使用鋁或鋼來制造緩沖結(jié)構(gòu)，但當你登上月球后，這種金屬會吸收能量并變形。它結(jié)束了——你只能用一次。

"Using this Field's alloy, you can crash into it like other metals, but then heat it up later to recover its shape. You can use it over and over again."

“使用這種磁場的合金，你可以像其他金屬一樣撞擊它，然后加熱，恢復它的形狀。”你可以一次又一次地使用它。”