UC San Diego

Permanent magnetic materials, including cobalt, nickel, iron, and neodymium, have attracted much attention in the last century. These elements are widely used in aerospace engineering, medical services, superconductive material manufacturing, and front research in high-energy physics. Eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) is a liquid alloy at room temperature. Due to its high conductivity, low toxicity, and high surface tension, the EGaIn is widely used in research of electrical engineering and thermal materials. However, after combining these two types of materials, we are able to manufacture the liquid metal with an inner magnetic field, which is called the magnetic liquid metal (MLM). To explore and develop its potential applications, we seek to build functional microstructures and microfluidic channels for stretchable electronics, dynamic circuits, and living actuators.Chapter 1 is an introduction to ferromagnetic nickel, neodymium microparticles, and the EGaIn. I would like to discuss their physical and chemical properties. Chapter 2 will discuss the synthesis of ferromagnetic materials and the EGaIn, as well as their contribution to potential applications of the MLM. Chapter 3 talks about the fabrication of the dynamic MLM circuit and the examination of its magnetic properties through mechanical, self-healing, and electrochemical tests. Chapter 4 discusses the experiment of integration between the MLM circuit with the biofuel cell (BFC). In the future, this research would provide a possible strategy for the development of next-generation biosensors or smart bioelectronics, which further enhance people’s daily lives and contributes to public health.