Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium

Nano‐/microparticles of gallium (Ga), as a low‐melting‐point metal, are extensively used in the fields of soft electronics and sensors to provide thermal and electrical conductivity. However, a passivating oxide layer can be formed on the surface of Ga nano‐/microparticles during the synthesis proce...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shih-Hao Chiu, Mahroo Baharfar, Yuan Chi, Moonika Sari Widjajana, Zhenbang Cao, Francois-Marie Allioux, Jianbo Tang, Md. Arifur Rahim, Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-05-01
Series:Advanced Intelligent Systems
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202200364
_version_ 1827943933180641280
author Shih-Hao Chiu
Mahroo Baharfar
Yuan Chi
Moonika Sari Widjajana
Zhenbang Cao
Francois-Marie Allioux
Jianbo Tang
Md. Arifur Rahim
Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
author_facet Shih-Hao Chiu
Mahroo Baharfar
Yuan Chi
Moonika Sari Widjajana
Zhenbang Cao
Francois-Marie Allioux
Jianbo Tang
Md. Arifur Rahim
Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
author_sort Shih-Hao Chiu
collection DOAJ
description Nano‐/microparticles of gallium (Ga), as a low‐melting‐point metal, are extensively used in the fields of soft electronics and sensors to provide thermal and electrical conductivity. However, a passivating oxide layer can be formed on the surface of Ga nano‐/microparticles during the synthesis process. This oxide layer is removed by a secondary sintering step, especially mechanical sintering, which is generally not a controllable process, and compromises the integrity of the system. Herein, thiol molecules, 1‐butanethiol, thiophenol, and 4‐mercaptopyridine, that can functionalize the surface of Ga via sonication to reduce the oxidation of Ga surface are used. The resulting particles exhibit electrical conductivity based on metal–molecule junctions without the requirement for a sintering step. In particular, 4‐mercaptopyridine functionalized, thiolated Ga particles exhibit higher electrical conductivity compared to the other three thiolated Ga systems as the organic material conjugation provides conductive pathways for the mix. Subsequently, using these particle systems, soft devices are developed that can be used for gas, exhalation, and flex sensing. This study provides insights into the possibility of creating combinations of organic molecules with liquid metal‐based nano‐/microparticles to generate electrically conductive mixes and the prospects of fabricating multifunctional sensors.
first_indexed 2024-03-13T10:22:49Z
format Article
id doaj.art-646c3454c8a144dda92eb431f6890883
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2640-4567
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-13T10:22:49Z
publishDate 2023-05-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Advanced Intelligent Systems
spelling doaj.art-646c3454c8a144dda92eb431f68908832023-05-20T03:54:51ZengWileyAdvanced Intelligent Systems2640-45672023-05-0155n/an/a10.1002/aisy.202200364Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of GalliumShih-Hao Chiu0Mahroo Baharfar1Yuan Chi2Moonika Sari Widjajana3Zhenbang Cao4Francois-Marie Allioux5Jianbo Tang6Md. Arifur Rahim7Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh8School of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaSchool of Chemical Engineering University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney NSW 2052 AustraliaNano‐/microparticles of gallium (Ga), as a low‐melting‐point metal, are extensively used in the fields of soft electronics and sensors to provide thermal and electrical conductivity. However, a passivating oxide layer can be formed on the surface of Ga nano‐/microparticles during the synthesis process. This oxide layer is removed by a secondary sintering step, especially mechanical sintering, which is generally not a controllable process, and compromises the integrity of the system. Herein, thiol molecules, 1‐butanethiol, thiophenol, and 4‐mercaptopyridine, that can functionalize the surface of Ga via sonication to reduce the oxidation of Ga surface are used. The resulting particles exhibit electrical conductivity based on metal–molecule junctions without the requirement for a sintering step. In particular, 4‐mercaptopyridine functionalized, thiolated Ga particles exhibit higher electrical conductivity compared to the other three thiolated Ga systems as the organic material conjugation provides conductive pathways for the mix. Subsequently, using these particle systems, soft devices are developed that can be used for gas, exhalation, and flex sensing. This study provides insights into the possibility of creating combinations of organic molecules with liquid metal‐based nano‐/microparticles to generate electrically conductive mixes and the prospects of fabricating multifunctional sensors.https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202200364chemical conjugationsconductivityliquid metalssoft sensorsthiol molecules
spellingShingle Shih-Hao Chiu
Mahroo Baharfar
Yuan Chi
Moonika Sari Widjajana
Zhenbang Cao
Francois-Marie Allioux
Jianbo Tang
Md. Arifur Rahim
Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh
Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
Advanced Intelligent Systems
chemical conjugations
conductivity
liquid metals
soft sensors
thiol molecules
title Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
title_full Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
title_fullStr Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
title_short Exploring Electrical Conductivity of Thiolated Micro‐ and Nanoparticles of Gallium
title_sort exploring electrical conductivity of thiolated micro and nanoparticles of gallium
topic chemical conjugations
conductivity
liquid metals
soft sensors
thiol molecules
url https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202200364
work_keys_str_mv AT shihhaochiu exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT mahroobaharfar exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT yuanchi exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT moonikasariwidjajana exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT zhenbangcao exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT francoismarieallioux exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT jianbotang exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT mdarifurrahim exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium
AT kouroshkalantarzadeh exploringelectricalconductivityofthiolatedmicroandnanoparticlesofgallium