SCIENCE AS ART
EGaIn flower
Minyung Song, North Carolina State University, USA
A drop of the liquid metal eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) in a strong base electrolyte normally forms a sphere because of its inherently high surface tension. Applying a small, positive electric potential to EGaIn (via the red wire) causes surface oxidation in solution and effectively lowers its interfacial tension. EGaIn then spreads into this flower-like shape to increase its surface area.
A Second Place Winner from the Science as Art competition at the 2019 MRS Spring Meeting.
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