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Liquid metal droplets of gallium (Ga) and Ga‐based alloys are traditionally incorporated as deformable additives into soft elastomers to make them conductive. However, such a strategy has not been implemented to develop conductive sponges with real sponge‐like characteristics. Herein, polyurethane‐based sponges with Ga microdroplets embedded inside the polyurethane walls are developed. The liquid phase (at 45 °C) and solid phase (at room temperature) transition of the Ga fillers shows the temperature‐dependent functional variations in the mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties on the prepared composite sponges, which are investigated in detail. Unlike elastomers, the sponge possesses excellent elastic recovery, at ≈90%, and conductivity durability without sacrificing structural integrity. The reversible change of resistivity range is remarkable. When the Ga fillers account for 18% of the total sponge volume, the electrical resistivity varies from infinite values (insulator) under no applied pressure to 39.0 Ω m for the solid phase and 3.8 Ω m for the liquid phase under 386.8 kPa. New opportunities in developing flexible electrically conductive composite sponges with tunable mechanical and electrical properties that can be implemented for a variety of future applications are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) play increasingly significant roles in research and future optoelectronics. However, the large‐scale deposition of 2D TMDs remains challenging due to sparse nucleation and substrate dependency. Liquid metals can offer effective solutions to meet these challenges due to their reactive, non‐polarized, and templating properties. Here, self‐deposition of 2D molybdenum sulfide is shown by introducing a molybdenum precursor onto the surface of a eutectic alloy of gallium and indium (EGaIn). EGaIn serves as an ultra‐smooth template and reducing agent for the precursor to form large‐scale planar molybdenum sulfides, which is transferrable to any substrate. The molybdenum sulfides form spontaneously on the surface of EGaIn, which has a sufficient potential to drive the cathodic reactions of the deposition process. A highly crystalline 2H‐MoS2 is obtained after a final annealing step. This work demonstrates a fundamentally new capability for the formation of large‐scale 2D TMDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid metals offer unprecedented chemistry. Here it is shown that they can facilitate self‐limiting oxidation processes on their surfaces, which enables the growth of metal oxides that are atomically thin. This claim is exemplified by creating atomically thin hydrated MnO2 using a Galvanic replacement reaction between permanganate ions and a liquid gallium–indium alloy (EGaIn). The "liquid solution"–"liquid metal" process leads to the reduction of the permanganate ions, resulting in the formation of the oxide monolayer at the interface. It is presented that under mechanical agitation liquid metal droplets are established, and simultaneously, hydrated gallium oxides and manganese oxide sheets delaminate themselves from the interfacial boundaries. The produced nanosheets encapsulate a metallic core, which is found to consist of solid indium only, with the full migration of gallium out of the droplets. This process produces core/shell structures, where the shells are made of stacked atomically thin nanosheets. The obtained core/shell structures are found to be an efficient photocatalyst for the degradation of an organic dye under simulated solar irradiation. This study presents a new research direction toward the modification and functionalization of liquid metals through spontaneous interfacial redox reactions, which has implications for many applications beyond photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Liquid metals are super catalytic materials for hydrocarbons conversion. • Synergy between liquid metals and mechanical energy enabled mechano-catalytic reactions. • A series of biofuels (i.e. , renewable hydrocarbons) were converted at low temperatures. • Hydrogen and ethylene production achieved without involving harsh conditions. • Density functional theory calculations validated the reaction processes. Liquid metals are super catalysts that facilitate reactions at low temperatures while also providing new reaction pathways by the incorporation of co-catalysts. Synthesising H 2 and C 2 H 4 from renewable resources, with a low carbon footprint, is crucial for environmental sustainability. However, the high temperature requirement and over-reliance on fossil fuels restrict the sustainable production of H 2 and C 2 H 4. Here we demonstrate a hybrid catalytic system, which realises the conversion of renewable biofuels into mostly H 2 and C 2 H 4 at near room temperature, by employing mechanical energy as the stimulus and liquid metal gallium (Ga) together with nickel (Ni) particles as co-catalysts. During the collision of the suspended nano/micro-sized Ga/Ni co-catalysts, the biofuels, including canola oil and other liquid hydrocarbons, are converted at the interfaces of the catalytic materials. Density functional theory calculations show that C H and C C bond dissociation reactions on the Ga surface proceed under low energy conditions. These biofuels are converted into mainly H 2 and C 2 H 4 with CH 4 , CO, CO 2 , C 2 H 2 , C 3 H 6 and solid carbon as other by-products. With mild heating at ∼ 60 °C and the use of a 20 ml reactor, the process is capable of producing 2.15 cm3 of H 2 and 2.47 cm3 of C 2 H 4 per hour with canola oil as the feedstock. Meanwhile, the durability and potential practical applicability of the system are demonstrated with 10 days of continuous operation. This approach offers an alternative for H 2 and C 2 H 4 production without involving high reaction temperatures and fossil fuel hydrocarbons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]