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Chinese scientists say they have found a way to use a Terminator-like, self-healing liquid metal to absorb other materials and create sought-after new alloys that could transform aerospace, medicine and other fields.
The breakthrough could pave the way for the invention of exceptionally hard, stable types of alloy with unprecedented properties and uses, according to the team, led by Fu Lei, a professor with Wuhan University’s College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences.
Fu told China Science Daily that the simplicity and effectiveness of the scientists’ method – published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Nature – was initially met with scepticism.
“We found this phenomenon two years ago, but it was hard to convince people that just by adding liquid metals, the synthesis process [of alloy materials] could be greatly improved,” he said.
“Even reviewers from Nature found the results ‘unbelievable’ when they first saw the manuscxt.”
To address the sceptics, the researchers conducted further experiments and analysis, as well as a more rigorous explanation of the synthesis mechanism and extra theoretical calculations.

中国科学家表示，他们已经找到了一种方法，可以使用类似终结者的自愈液态金属来吸收其他材料，并创造出广受欢迎的新型合金，从而改变航空航天、医学和其他领域。
武汉大学化学与分子科学学院教授傅雷领导的研究小组表示，这一突破可能为发明具有前所未有的性能和用途的异常坚硬、稳定的合金铺平道路。
傅雷告诉《中国科学报》，上周发表在同行评审期刊《自然》上的科学家方法的简单性和有效性最初遭到了质疑。
“我们两年前就发现了这种现象，但很难让人们相信仅仅通过添加液态金属，[合金材料]的合成工艺就可以得到极大的改善，”他说。
“即使是《自然》杂志的审稿人在第一次看到手稿时也觉得结果‘难以置信’。”
为了消除怀疑，研究人员进行了进一步的实验和分析，并对合成机制进行了更严格的解释，并进行了额外的理论计算。

Their results prove that metals synthesised by the new method are no different in composition or structure from traditional methods, and without compromising performance, according to the paper.
The breakthrough would make the creation and manufacture of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) – composed of five or more principal metallic elements – easier and more efficient, the researchers said.
Compared to traditional alloy materials, HEAs are more resistant to wear, fatigue and corrosion, giving them significant potential in aerospace, medical equipment, as well as energy conversion and storage.

该论文称，他们的结果证明，通过新方法合成的金属在成分或结构上与传统方法没有什么不同，并且不会影响性能。
研究人员表示，这一突破将使由五种或更多主要金属元素组成的高熵合金（HEA）的制造和制造变得更容易、更高效。
与传统合金材料相比，HEA更耐磨损、耐疲劳和耐腐蚀，使其在航空航天、医疗设备以及能量转换和存储方面具有巨大潜力。

While their potential benefits have made HEAs a focus for researchers in recent years, the extremely high temperatures needed to achieve synthesis of the alloy materials have remained a barrier to their development.
According to Fu, synthesising high-entropy alloys can be challenging because the different metallic atoms are not necessarily compatible.

虽然它们的潜在优势使 HEA 近年来成为研究人员关注的焦点，但实现合金材料合成所需的极高温度仍然是其发展的障碍。
傅雷表示，合成高熵合金可能具有挑战性，因为不同的金属原子不一定兼容。

“It’s like trying to make a cohesive group out of five people with different natures and personalities. Any disagreements can easily break up the group,” he said.
To achieve synthesis by traditional methods, the alloy materials must be heated to 2,000 degrees Celsius (3,632 Fahrenheit) and then rapidly cooled.
But Fu’s team brought the preparation temperature down to a more manageable 650 Celsius (1,202 Fahrenheit), using a liquid metal called gallium as a reaction medium and adhesive, the paper said.

“这就像试图让五个具有不同性质和个性的组成一个有凝聚力的组合。任何分歧都很容易导致这个组合的分裂。”他说。
为了通过传统方法实现合成，合金材料必须加热至2,000摄氏度（3,632华氏度），然后快速冷却。
但傅雷的团队使用一种名为镓的液态金属作为反应介质和粘合剂，将制备温度降至更容易控制的 650 摄氏度（1,202 华氏度）。

With a low melting temperature of just 29.8 Celsius (85.6 Fahrenheit), gallium will easily turn to liquid in the palm of your hand. It is also highly corrosive to some metals – a single drop can leave a large hole in an aluminium can.
But it is gallium’s ability to return to its original form after being manipulated that has drawn comparisons with the shape-shifting T-1000 killer android of the Terminator film franchise.
Fu’s team found that heating various compatible metals placed on the surface of the liquid metal resulted in the spontaneous growth of crystalline HEA nanoparticles, a process the researchers captured in real time, according to the paper.

镓的熔化温度低至 29.8 摄氏度（85.6 华氏度），在手掌中很容易变成液体。它对某些金属也具有很强的腐蚀性——一滴就可以在铝罐上留下一个大洞。
但人们将镓在被操纵后恢复其原始形态的能力与《终结者》系列电影中变形的 T-1000 杀手机器人相比较。
根据该论文，傅雷的团队发现，加热放置在液态金属表面的各种相容金属会导致结晶 HEA 纳米颗粒的自发生长，研究人员实时捕获了这一过程。

The scientists also used gallium to synthesise a diverse range of metal elements into HEAs, something outside the capabilities of traditional methods, which are restricted to palettes of similar elements, according to the paper.
“The involved elements exhibit a broad spectrum of atomic radii (1.24 to 1.97 angstrom) and melting points (303 to 3683 Kelvin),” it said.
According to the researchers, the dynamic mixing reservoir of gallium could be used to synthesise HEAs with a diverse range of metal elements, opening the way for new materials with unique properties and functionalities.
“The in-depth study of the liquid metal reaction mechanism and alloying process has revealed its dynamic evolution process, which also inspires the methodology based on liquid metals.”

据该论文称，科学家们还使用镓将多种金属元素合成到 HEA 中，这超出了传统方法的能力，传统方法仅限于类似元素的调色板。
“所涉及的元素表现出广泛的原子半径（1.24至1.97埃）和熔点（303至3683开尔文），”它说。
研究人员表示，镓的动态混合储层可用于合成具有多种金属元素的高熵合金，为具有独特性能和功能的新材料开辟了道路。
“对液态金属反应机理和合金化过程的深入研究揭示了其动态演化过程，这也启发了基于液态金属的方法论。”