Manipulating Surface Tension

Researchers from North Carolina State University have made great strides in their research of the manipulation of surface tension in metals. When thinking about liquid metal, the first thing that comes to mind is Mercury. Being liquid at room temperature, it is easy to use as an example. According to the study at NCSU, if a slightly positive charge were added to the Mercury, it would lose its surface tension (what makes mercury bead up when it hits a flat surface) at a 250 to 1 ratio, resulting in a thin layer of mercury similar to if you were to pour water on a table or the floor. The equal and opposite reaction occurs when a slightly negative charge is applied to the liquid metal, the surface tension increases. This surface tension manipulation can be used to move liquid metal as well, outlined in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB2ZqO5E1Zo). This video outlines the many uses and ways to manipulate liquid metal in small-scale mechanisms. These new discoveries could be used to revolutionize the use of microfluidic channels (used is ink cartridges to dispense a extremely small amount of ink), MEMS (Microelectromechanical systems), and photonic and optical devices.  The most significant impact this will have is on 3D printers! Currently people can only 3D print with heavy-duty plastic, but this new technology could give people the option to print with metal, which will revolutionize the manufacturing industry. This article interested me because I had always wondered about what affected surface tension. This article gave me a new way of thinking about surface tension and how it affects our everyday lives.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915153951.htm

Submitted by Jay Cleveland