Research Progress on Applications of Gallium-based Liquid Metal in Wearable Devices and Smart Clothing

Gallium-based liquid metal has good deformability and high conductivity at room temperature, which is an excellent material for making conductive units of flexible electronic devices. Aiming at the problem that most electronic components have poor flexibility and are difficult to be applied in the field of textile and clothing, based on the high conductivity, room temperature fluidity and wettability of liquid metal, this paper summarizes the research status of flexible electronic devices based on liquid metal with various forms, including conductive microspheres, flexible wires and films, and fabric devices. These devices can bend and deform, have good elasticity, and keep electrical stability under external force. By modifying the viscosity and wettability of liquid metal, combined with the structural characteristics and preparation technology of textile materials, flexible and intelligent textile based electronic devices can be realized, which have both the flexibility of fabric and the high conductivity of liquid metal, and are expected to be used in intelligent clothing. © 2022, Materials Review Magazine. All right reserved.