New Findings on Gallium by Heartsound Audio

 


Gallium was first introduced in 1875 by French chemist, Paul Emile Lecoq. It is known for its low melting point- A gallium spoon would melt in your cup of coffee. 

Semiconductors made today rely on this unusual metal. The most recent surprising discovery concerns how gallium reacts at the atomic level. 

Unlike most metals, gallium is comprised of ‘diners’ or atom pairs. And is less dense as a solid than a liquid, just like ice floating on water. Gallium has ‘covalent bonds’ Where atoms share electrons, highly uncommon for a metal. 

A new paper published in Material Horizons last month Showed that while the bonds disappear at melting point, they reappear at high temperatures.

This refutes a long-standing belief And requires a new explanation for gallium’s low melting point. The key may be a huge increase in entropy- A measure of disorder- When the bonds disappear, freeing up atoms. 

“ 30 years of literature on the structure of liquid gallium has had a fundamental assumption that is evidently not true,” says Prof. Nicola Gaston from University of Auckland. 

Understanding gallium’s exact process and especially how it changes with temperature is important for advances in nanotechnology, where scientist manipulate matter to create new materials.

The metal is used to dissolve other metals, facilitating  the creation of liquid metal catalyst, and “Self assembling structures” Where disordered materials become structured. 

Recently zinc snowflakes were created by crystallizing zinc and liquid gallium! 

Extracted from minerals and rock such as bauxite, Gallium isn’t found in nature  in its pure form. Currently Used in semiconductors, the metal also is used in telecommunications, LEDs and laser diode, solar panels, high performance computing, aerospace and defense industries, and even as an alternative to mercury in thermometers. 

Research continues on gallium and how it can be used in future nanotech projects!  

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