Liquid metal switch and electronic device

Abstract

The application discloses a liquid metal switch and an electronic device, and relates to the technical field of flexible electronics, and comprises an electrode pair, liquid metal and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid; the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid is in contact with the liquid metal and can be converted into a solid-state polymer when a polymerization trigger condition is met; the solid-state polymer is used for restraining the liquid metal in a first region or a second region; when the liquid metal is located in the first region, the liquid metal is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair at the same time to form an electrical connection path; when the liquid metal is located in the second region, the liquid metal is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair at the same time. The scheme can flexibly switch on and off states by using the fluidity of the liquid metal, and can lock the liquid metal in a preset distribution state by using the solid-state polymer formed by polymerization, so that the on state or the off state can be maintained, and the problems of difficulty in locking the switch state as required and poor adaptability to the flexible printed electronic process are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of flexible electronics technology, and in particular to a liquid metal switch and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of printed electronics, conventional integration processes typically interconnect power modules and functional loads directly using a coplanar printing method. This connection method causes the power circuit to immediately enter a continuous standby power-consuming state once formed, making it impossible to switch the circuit on and off as needed according to actual usage requirements. To suppress energy loss in the non-operating state, a switching mechanism is usually introduced into the power supply circuit to achieve selective on / off control of the circuit.

[0003] Currently, the integration of traditional mechanical switches on flexible substrates faces numerous limitations. First, the moving parts of traditional mechanical switches are prone to poor contact or even failure during repeated bending, making it difficult to meet the mechanical reliability requirements of flexible electronic devices. In addition, the manufacturing process of traditional mechanical switches is poorly compatible with existing printed circuit board production processes, making seamless embedding at the battery-load interface impossible, resulting in high complexity and cost of system integration.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of switch that is highly compatible with printing manufacturing processes to replace the application of traditional mechanical switches in printed electronic systems, thereby achieving on-demand on / off control. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this application is to propose a liquid metal switch that aims to solve the technical problem that traditional mechanical switches cannot meet the requirements of flexible electronic devices.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the liquid metal switch proposed in this application includes: Electrode pairs; Liquid metal; An in-situ polymerization precursor solution is present in direct or indirect contact with the liquid metal; the in-situ polymerization precursor solution is configured to transform into a solid polymer when polymerization triggering conditions are met; the polymerization triggering conditions include at least one of the following: addition of a polymerization trigger, heating, or light irradiation. The solid polymer is used to confine the liquid metal to a first region or a second region; when the liquid metal is located in the first region, the liquid metal is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously to form an electrical connection path; when the liquid metal is located in the second region, the liquid metal is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously.

[0007] In one embodiment, the liquid metal switch further includes a receiving cavity; the electrode pair, the liquid metal, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are contained within the receiving cavity, wherein the density of the liquid metal is greater than the density of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid; When the receiving cavity is in the first position, the liquid metal is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously; when the receiving cavity is flipped to the second position, the liquid metal is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously. When the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid transforms into the solid polymer in the first or second orientation, the liquid metal is fixed at the current position.

[0008] In one embodiment, the liquid metal switch further includes a pneumatic drive chamber; the electrode pair, the liquid metal, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are contained within the pneumatic drive chamber, and the liquid metal and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are mixed to form a mixed liquid; the polymerization trigger is fixed within the pneumatic drive chamber; When gas is generated in the pneumatic drive chamber, the mixed liquid approaches the polymerization trigger under the push of the gas to change the contact state between the liquid metal and the electrode pair; when the mixed liquid comes into contact with the polymerization trigger, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid forms the solid polymer to fix the liquid metal in the current position.

[0009] In one embodiment, the gas generated in the pneumatic drive chamber is the gas generated by the battery side reaction.

[0010] In one embodiment, the polymerization trigger is spaced apart from the electrode pair; The liquid metal switch further includes a hydrophobic layer disposed on the electrode pair; the hydrophobic layer is used to facilitate the separation of the mixed liquid from the electrode pair.

[0011] In one embodiment, the liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid, which polymerizes under the triggering of the polymerization trigger to form at least one porous polymer block, the pores of the porous polymer block being formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets; A liquid collection channel is provided through the porous polymer block, and the two electrodes of the electrode pair are distributed at both ends of the liquid collection channel. The metal droplets converge in the liquid collection channel under the action of external force to form a metal liquid column. When the porous polymer block deforms under the action of pressing and compresses the liquid collection channel, the metal liquid column extends outward from both ends of the liquid collection channel and contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair at the same time.

[0012] In one embodiment, the liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor solution. The in-situ polymerization precursor solution polymerizes under the triggering of the polymerization trigger to form two porous polymer blocks. The two porous polymer blocks are in one-to-one contact with the two electrodes of the electrode pair. The pores of the porous polymer blocks are formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets. During the outward seepage process, the metal droplets are adsorbed onto the surface of the porous polymer blocks to form a metal liquid film. When the two porous polymer blocks come into contact with each other, the two liquid metal films form an electrical connection path; when the two porous polymer blocks are separated from each other under the action of external force, the electrical connection path is broken.

[0013] In one embodiment, the liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the polymerization trigger to form mixed droplets; The in-situ polymerization precursor reacts with the polymerization trigger on the surface of the mixed droplet to form a capsule-like membrane, which is used to encapsulate the mixed droplet; the capsule-like membrane is disposed between the two electrodes of the electrode pair; When the capsule membrane ruptures under external force, the mixed droplets inside the capsule membrane flow outward, so that the liquid metal in the mixed droplets simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair to form an electrical connection path.

[0014] In one embodiment, the liquid metal is dispersed into a plurality of metal droplets with the aid of a thickener.

[0015] This application also proposes an electronic device comprising a liquid metal switch as described above.

[0016] The liquid metal switch proposed in this application can flexibly switch between on and off states in the initial stage by utilizing the fluidity of liquid metal. When needed, polymerization can be triggered by different methods such as chemical addition, heating, or light exposure. The resulting solid polymer locks the liquid metal in a preset distribution state, thereby maintaining the on or off state. This liquid metal switch does not rely on traditional mechanical moving parts, has a relatively simple structure, and is easily integrated onto flexible substrates through printing and coating processes. It is highly compatible with printed electronics manufacturing processes, effectively solving the problems of difficulty in locking the switch state on demand and poor compatibility with flexible printed electronics processes in existing technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the liquid metal switch provided in the first embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the first embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the first embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth state structure of the first embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the second embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the liquid metal switch provided in the second embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the second embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the third embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the third embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the fourth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the fourth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the fifth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the fifth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the fifth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth state structure of the fifth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 16This is a schematic diagram of the fifth state structure of the fifth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the sixth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the sixth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the sixth embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the first state structure of the seventh embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of the second state structure of the seventh embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram of the third state structure of the seventh embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application; Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth state structure of the seventh embodiment of the liquid metal switch provided in this application.

[0019] Explanation of icon numbers: 1. Electrode pair; 2. Liquid metal; 21. Metal droplet; 211. Metal column; 212. Metal film; 3. In-situ polymerization precursor solution; 4. Solid polymer; 41. Porous polymer block; 42. Capsular membrane; 411. Liquid collection channel; 5. Polymerization trigger; 6. Receptacle cavity; 7. Isolation layer; 8. Gas pressure drive cavity; 9. Mixed liquid; 10. Hydrophobic layer; 11. Mixed droplet; 12. Solid tube.

[0020] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0022] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0023] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this application involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the use of "and / or" or "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution that simultaneously satisfies A and B. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0024] In the field of printed electronics, conventional integration processes typically interconnect power modules and functional loads directly using a coplanar printing method. This connection method causes the power circuit to immediately enter a continuous standby power-consuming state once formed, making it impossible to switch the circuit on and off as needed according to actual usage requirements. To suppress energy loss in the non-operating state, a switching mechanism is usually introduced into the power supply circuit to achieve selective on / off control of the circuit.

[0025] Currently, the integration of traditional mechanical switches on flexible substrates faces numerous limitations. First, the moving parts of traditional mechanical switches are prone to poor contact or even failure during repeated bending, making it difficult to meet the mechanical reliability requirements of flexible electronic devices. In addition, the manufacturing process of traditional mechanical switches is poorly compatible with existing printed circuit board production processes, making seamless embedding at the battery-load interface impossible, resulting in high complexity and cost of system integration.

[0026] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of switch that is highly compatible with printing manufacturing processes to replace the application of traditional mechanical switches in printed electronic systems, thereby achieving on-demand on / off control.

[0027] Please see Figures 1 to 22 An embodiment of this application provides a liquid metal switch, comprising: Electrode pair 1; Liquid metal 2; The in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is in direct or indirect contact with the liquid metal 2; the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is configured to transform into a solid polymer 4 when the polymerization triggering conditions are met; the polymerization triggering conditions include at least one of the following: addition of polymerization trigger 5, heating, and light irradiation. The solid polymer 4 is used to confine the liquid metal 2 to a first region or a second region. When the liquid metal 2 is located in the first region, the liquid metal 2 is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time to form an electrical connection path. When the liquid metal 2 is located in the second region, the liquid metal 2 is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time.

[0028] In this embodiment, electrode pair 1 consists of two separate electrodes, serving as the output terminal of the liquid metal switch. Liquid metal 2 possesses conductivity and fluidity, and its distribution can be altered under external driving force. In-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 refers to a substance that is initially liquid or flowable, capable of undergoing polymerization under specific triggering conditions, thereby transforming from a liquid or flowable state into a solid polymer 4. Indirect contact refers to the existence of an isolation layer 7, composed of a thin film, shell, or other medium, between liquid metal 2 and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, allowing direct contact to be achieved even if the isolation layer 7 is damaged.

[0029] Under the influence of external driving force, the distribution state of liquid metal 2 can change in various ways. For example, liquid metal 2 can be displaced as a continuous whole; liquid metal 2 can also move based on gravity, permeation, etc., after being dispersed into multiple tiny droplets; liquid metal 2 can also be fixed to another structure through surface adhesion or encapsulation and move accordingly. Specifically, regardless of which of the above physical processes it manifests, its essence is that the distribution state of liquid metal 2 changes, thereby altering the contact relationship between liquid metal 2 and electrode pair 1.

[0030] The distribution state of liquid metal 2 determines whether it simultaneously contacts both electrodes of electrode pair 1. When the distribution state of liquid metal 2 allows it to simultaneously contact both electrodes, an electrical connection path can be formed between the two electrodes due to the good conductivity of liquid metal 2, putting the liquid metal switch in a conducting state. Conversely, when the distribution state of liquid metal 2 prevents it from simultaneously contacting both electrodes (e.g., liquid metal 2 is separated from both electrodes or only contacts one electrode), there is no conductive medium bridging between the two electrodes, and an electrical connection path cannot be established, putting the liquid metal switch in a disconnected state. It should be noted that the first region in this embodiment does not specifically refer to a fixed spatial coordinate, but rather refers to the sum of all positions and shapes required for liquid metal 2 to be in the distribution state of simultaneously contacting both electrodes; similarly, the second region also refers to the sum of all positions and shapes required for liquid metal 2 to be in the distribution state of not simultaneously contacting both electrodes.

[0031] The external driving force capable of altering the distribution state of the liquid metal 2 can originate from various sources. For example, the liquid metal 2 can be moved under its own gravity by changing the placement orientation of the liquid metal switch; alternatively, gas pressure can be used to propel the liquid metal 2 or the mixture 9 containing the liquid metal 2 along a predetermined channel; furthermore, mechanical pressing, stretching, or other means can be used to deform the elastic matrix supporting the liquid metal 2, thereby forcing the liquid metal 2 to change position due to the deformation of the elastic matrix. These driving methods can be used individually or in combination as needed.

[0032] When it is necessary to maintain the current on or off state of the liquid metal switch, a polymerization trigger condition can be actively met to cause the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 to transform from a liquid state to a solid polymer 4. The polymerization trigger condition can take various forms, such as adding a polymerization trigger agent 5 to the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, heating the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, or irradiating the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 with light. These methods can be used individually or in combination as needed.

[0033] When using the method of adding polymerization trigger 5, polymerization trigger 5 refers to a substance that can initiate or catalyze the polymerization reaction of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, such as an ionic crosslinking agent or a free radical initiator. In actual operation, polymerization trigger 5 can be pre-encapsulated inside a ruptureable isolation layer 7; when it is necessary to trigger the polymerization reaction, the isolation layer 7 can be ruptured by mechanical extrusion, heating, or other means to release polymerization trigger 5 and allow it to contact the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, thereby initiating the polymerization reaction. Alternatively, polymerization trigger 5 can be pre-isolated and fixed in a predetermined area using a thickener, and then released subsequently to contact the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3.

[0034] In addition, the polymerization trigger 5 may not be pre-encapsulated, but may be supplied by external injection or other means when the polymerization reaction needs to be triggered. Alternatively, the position of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 may be changed to make it contact the polymerization trigger 5. No limitation is made here.

[0035] Regarding the heating method, the temperature of the environment where the liquid metal switch is located can be raised to above the polymerization temperature of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3; some in-situ polymerization precursor liquids 3 remain stable at room temperature, but when the temperature is raised to a certain temperature threshold, the thermal initiator inside decomposes to generate free radicals and start the polymerization reaction; and even without an added initiator, some monomers can undergo thermal polymerization at high temperatures.

[0036] For the method of using light irradiation, at least one surface of the cavity used to contain the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 can be made transparent, and light of a specific wavelength can be used to irradiate the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 through the surface; specifically, when the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 uses a photocurable material (such as UV glue) containing a photoinitiator, under the irradiation of light of a specific wavelength (especially ultraviolet light), the photoinitiator will generate active free radicals or cations, thereby triggering the polymerization reaction and causing the material to change from liquid to solid in a short time.

[0037] Based on the above specific implementation, when the polymerization triggering conditions are met, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 can be transformed into a solid polymer 4. Since the liquid metal 2 is already in a defined distribution state in either the first or second region before polymerization occurs, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 surrounds or contacts the liquid metal 2 in its liquid state, the solid polymer 4 formed after the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 solidifies can constrain the liquid metal 2 in its pre-solidification distribution state, thereby resisting the tendency of the liquid metal 2 to undergo further distribution changes under external disturbances. In this way, the electrical connection state (on or off) of the liquid metal switch before solidification can be maintained, that is, the locking of the liquid metal switch in the on or off state is achieved.

[0038] Based on the above structure and working principle, the on / off state can be flexibly switched using the fluidity of liquid metal 2 in the initial stage. When needed, polymerization can be triggered by different methods such as chemical addition, heating, or light exposure, so that the solid polymer 4 formed by polymerization locks the liquid metal 2 in a preset distribution state, thereby maintaining the on or off state. This liquid metal switch does not rely on traditional mechanical moving parts, has a relatively simple structure, and is easy to integrate on a flexible substrate through printing and coating processes. It is highly compatible with printed electronics manufacturing processes, thus effectively solving the problems of difficulty in locking the switch state on demand and poor compatibility with flexible printed electronics processes in existing technologies.

[0039] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 1 to 7The liquid metal switch also includes a receiving cavity 6; the electrode pair 1, liquid metal 2, and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 are contained in the receiving cavity 6, and the density of liquid metal 2 is greater than the density of in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3. When the receiving cavity 6 is in the first position, the liquid metal 2 is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time; when the receiving cavity 6 is flipped to the second position, the liquid metal 2 is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time. When the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 transforms into solid polymer 4 in the first or second orientation, the liquid metal 2 is fixed in the current position.

[0040] In this embodiment, the receiving cavity 6 can refer to the inner cavity of a closed shell or a semi-closed shell. The embodiment will now be described using two different arrangements of the electrode pair 1 within the receiving cavity 6 as examples.

[0041] Reference Figures 1 to 4 Taking the two electrodes of electrode pair 1 arranged at intervals in the horizontal direction within the receiving cavity 6 as an example, as follows: Figure 1 As shown, when the receiving cavity 6 is in the first position, the two electrodes of electrode pair 1 are located on the bottom surface of the receiving cavity 6, the less dense in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is located above the receiving cavity 6, and the more dense liquid metal 2 is located below the receiving cavity 6 and simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of electrode pair 1, thereby forming an electrical connection path and putting the liquid metal switch in the conducting state; as Figure 2 As shown, when the receiving cavity 6 is flipped to the second position, the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 are located on the top surface of the receiving cavity 6. At this time, the less dense in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is still located above the receiving cavity 6 and simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1, while the more dense liquid metal 2 is still located below the receiving cavity 6 and is separated from the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1. Due to the insulation of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, an electrical connection path cannot be formed between the two electrodes at this time, and the liquid metal switch is in the open state.

[0042] Reference Figures 5 to 7 Taking the example of two electrodes of electrode pair 1 arranged vertically at intervals within the receiving cavity 6, with the two electrodes located at the top and bottom of the receiving cavity 6 respectively, as shown... Figure 5 As shown, when the receiving cavity 6 is in the second position, the receiving cavity 6 is placed horizontally. At this time, the less dense in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is located above the receiving cavity 6 and in contact with the top electrode, while the more dense liquid metal 2 is located below the receiving cavity 6 and in contact with the bottom electrode. Since the liquid metal 2 is not in contact with both electrodes of electrode pair 1 at the same time, the liquid metal switch is in the open state. Figure 6As shown, when the receiving cavity 6 is flipped to the first position, the receiving cavity 6 is in an inclined state, and the electrode pair 1 is located on the lower side of the receiving cavity 6. At this time, the liquid metal 2 with a higher density gathers on the lower side of the receiving cavity 6 and simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1, thereby forming an electrical connection path and making the liquid metal switch in the conducting state.

[0043] When the receiving cavity 6 is in the first or second orientation, if it is necessary to maintain the current electrical connection state of the liquid metal switch, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 can be triggered to undergo a polymerization reaction, causing it to transform from a liquid state into a solid polymer 4. For example, this can be done by adding a polymerization trigger 5 into the receiving cavity 6, heating the receiving cavity 6, or irradiating the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in the receiving cavity 6 with ultraviolet light. Since the liquid metal 2 is already in contact with the two electrodes simultaneously or not simultaneously when the polymerization reaction occurs, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 surrounds or contacts the liquid metal 2 in a liquid state, the solid polymer 4 formed after the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 solidifies can fix the liquid metal 2 in the current position. Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, even if the orientation of the cavity 6 is changed again, the liquid metal 2 cannot move under the constraint of the solid polymer 4, thus allowing the liquid metal switch to stably maintain the conducting or disconnected state before solidification.

[0044] When adding the polymerization trigger 5 into the receiving cavity 6, the polymerization trigger 5 can be encapsulated in the isolation layer 7 within the receiving cavity 6. For example, a waxy isolation layer 7 can be used to wrap the polymerization trigger 5, separating the polymerization trigger 5 from the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3. When it is necessary to maintain the current electrical connection state of the liquid metal switch, such as... Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the isolation layer 7 can be destroyed to release the polymerization trigger 5, allowing the polymerization trigger 5 to come into contact with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 to form a solid polymer 4, thereby achieving the constraint effect on the liquid metal 2.

[0045] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 8 to 11 The liquid metal switch also includes a pneumatic drive chamber 8; the electrode pair 1, liquid metal 2, and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 are contained in the pneumatic drive chamber 8, and the liquid metal 2 and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 are mixed to form a mixed liquid 9; the polymerization trigger 5 is fixed in the pneumatic drive chamber 8. When gas is generated in the pneumatic drive chamber 8, the mixed liquid 9 approaches the polymerization trigger 5 under the push of the gas to change the contact state between the liquid metal 2 and the electrode pair 1; when the mixed liquid 9 comes into contact with the polymerization trigger 5, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 forms a solid polymer 4 to fix the liquid metal 2 in the current position.

[0046] In this embodiment, the pneumatic drive chamber 8 can refer to the inner cavity of a closed or semi-closed housing. The following two specific embodiments will be used as examples to illustrate the process of the liquid metal switch changing from an open state to a stable conducting state and from a conducting state to a stable open state.

[0047] Reference Figure 8 The two electrodes of electrode pair 1 are horizontally spaced on the bottom surface of the pneumatic drive chamber 8; the polymerization trigger 5 can be fixed to the right side of electrode pair 1 by a colloid; the mixed liquid 9 formed by mixing liquid metal 2 and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is initially located on the left side of electrode pair 1, at which time liquid metal 2 separates from both electrodes simultaneously, and the liquid metal switch is in the off state. When gas flowing from left to right is generated in the pneumatic drive chamber 8, the mixed liquid 9 will be pushed to the right by the gas; such as Figure 9 As shown, when the mixed liquid 9 comes into contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time and the rightmost side of the mixed liquid 9 comes into contact with the polymerization trigger 5, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in the mixed liquid 9 can undergo a polymerization reaction with the polymerization trigger 5 to form a solid polymer 4, which can prevent the mixed liquid 9 from continuing to flow to the right, so that the liquid metal 2 in the mixed liquid 9 remains in contact with the two electrodes, thereby realizing the switching process of the liquid metal switch from the off state to the stable on state.

[0048] Based on the characteristic that the density of liquid metal 2 is greater than the density of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, the polymerization trigger 5 can be positioned to facilitate contact with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in the mixed liquid 9, or the polymerization trigger 5 can be configured in a size and shape to facilitate contact with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in the mixed liquid 9. For example, as... Figures 8 to 11 As shown, when the polymerization trigger 5 is placed on the bottom surface of the pneumatic drive chamber 8, the height of the polymerization trigger 5 is greater than the height of the lower space occupied by the liquid metal 2 in the mixed liquid 9, so as to ensure that the polymerization trigger 5 can contact the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 when the mixed liquid 9 flows through it; in addition, the polymerization trigger 5 can also be placed on the top surface of the pneumatic drive chamber 8, so that when the mixed liquid 9 flows through the polymerization trigger 5, the polymerization trigger 5 can directly contact the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 located in the upper part of the mixed liquid 9.

[0049] Reference Figure 10The two electrodes of electrode pair 1 are horizontally spaced on the bottom surface of the pneumatic drive chamber 8; the polymerization trigger 5 can be fixed to the right side of electrode pair 1 by a colloid; the mixed liquid 9 formed by mixing liquid metal 2 and in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is initially located in the area where electrode pair 1 is located, at which time liquid metal 2 is in contact with both electrodes of electrode pair 1, and the liquid metal switch is in the conducting state. When gas flowing from left to right is generated in the pneumatic drive chamber 8, the mixed liquid 9 will be pushed to the right by the gas; such as Figure 11 As shown, when the mixed liquid 9 is completely separated from the electrode pair 1 and the mixed liquid 9 comes into contact with the polymerization trigger 5, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in the mixed liquid 9 can undergo a polymerization reaction with the polymerization trigger 5 to form a solid polymer 4, which can fix the mixed liquid 9 in the current position, so that the liquid metal 2 in the mixed liquid 9 remains separated from the two electrodes, thereby realizing the switching process of the liquid metal switch from the conducting state to the stable disconnected state.

[0050] It should be noted that the gas generation method inside the pneumatic drive chamber 8 and the relative positions of the polymerization trigger 5, electrode pair 1, and mixed liquid 9 are not limited to the two examples mentioned above. In practical applications, the initial position of the mixed liquid 9, the fixed position of the polymerization trigger 5, and the gas flow direction can be flexibly adjusted according to the expected functional requirements of the switch to achieve different switching logics between the on and off states. Furthermore, the gas generated inside the pneumatic drive chamber 8 can be supplied by an external gas source or utilize the gas generated inside the device where the liquid metal switch is located due to physical or chemical processes, as long as a directional airflow or pressure difference that can drive the mixed liquid 9 to move is formed within the pneumatic drive chamber 8.

[0051] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 8 to 11 The gas generated in the pneumatically driven chamber 8 is the gas produced by the battery side reaction.

[0052] In this embodiment, the liquid metal switch is applied inside the battery. When the battery experiences abnormal conditions such as overcharging, over-discharging, or internal short circuits, hydrogen, oxygen, or gases generated by electrolyte decomposition may be released inside the battery. By introducing the gas generated by the above-mentioned side reactions into the pneumatic drive chamber 8, this gas can be used as a driving power source to achieve the switching and locking of the switch state.

[0053] Furthermore, the design of this embodiment is applicable to battery protection circuits. Specifically, as... Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, this battery can be connected to an external sensor or alarm. When a battery malfunctions and causes excessively high air pressure, it can initiate an external circuit disconnection or trigger an alarm signal. Figure 10 and Figure 11The design shown, which transitions from a conducting state to a stable disconnected state, can be used as an automatic circuit opener.

[0054] In one embodiment, refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11 The polymerization trigger 5 and the electrode pair 1 are spaced apart; The liquid metal switch also includes a hydrophobic layer 10 disposed on the electrode pair 1; the hydrophobic layer 10 is used to facilitate the separation of the mixed liquid 9 from the electrode pair 1.

[0055] Specifically, such as Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, the hydrophobic layer 10 can be disposed between the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1; during the process of the liquid metal switch changing from the on state to the stable off state, when the mixed liquid 9 is pushed to the right by the gas generated in the pneumatic drive chamber 8, after the mixed liquid 9 leaves the electrode pair 1, the liquid metal 2 remaining between the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 quickly contracts, thereby ensuring that the liquid metal switch can be stably maintained in the off state after switching from the on state to the off state.

[0056] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 12 to 16 Liquid metal 2 is dispersed into multiple metal droplets 21 and mixed with in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3. The in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is polymerized under the triggering of polymerization trigger 5 to form at least one porous polymer block 41. The pores of the porous polymer block 41 are formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets 21. A liquid collection channel 411 is provided through the porous polymer block 41, and the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 are distributed at both ends of the liquid collection channel 411. Under the action of external force, the metal droplets 21 converge into the liquid collection channel 411 to form a metal liquid column 211. When the porous polymer block 41 deforms under the action of pressing and compresses the liquid collection channel 411, the metal liquid column 211 extends outward from both ends of the liquid collection channel 411 and contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 at the same time.

[0057] In this embodiment, such as Figure 12As shown, liquid metal 2 can be mixed with in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in a container. The liquid metal 2 can be dispersed into tiny metal droplets 21 through mechanical stirring, ultrasonic vibration, or the addition of dispersing agents, thus achieving a uniform distribution of liquid metal 2 within the container. Then, polymerization trigger 5 is added to the container, causing the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 to polymerize and form a solid polymer 4. Since the space occupied by the metal droplets 21 is not filled by the solid polymer 4 during polymerization, after polymerization, the space occupied by the metal droplets 21 becomes pores, resulting in the solid polymer 4 exhibiting a sponge-like porous polymer block 41. The metal droplets 21 are encased in the pores of the porous polymer block 41 and can move slowly between the pores. It is understood that the polymerization trigger 5 can also be pre-dissolved or mixed in the liquid metal 2 so that the solid polymer 4 can be formed directly after the liquid metal 2 is mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3.

[0058] After the above-mentioned porous polymer block 41 is made, as Figure 13 As shown, the porous polymer block 41 can be removed from the container, and a horizontally penetrating liquid collection channel 411 can be opened in the middle of the porous polymer block 41. The two electrodes of electrode pair 1 are positioned at opposite ends of the liquid collection channel 411, with a certain gap reserved between the two electrodes and the opposite ends of the liquid collection channel 411. In practical applications, the porous polymer block 41 is typically... Figure 13 The metal droplets 21, dispersed within the porous polymer block 41, will slowly move downwards along the pores under gravity, eventually converging into the collection channel 411. The convergence speed of the metal droplets 21 into the collection channel 411 can be accelerated by manual squeezing, and gravity will keep the metal droplets 21 within the collection channel 411. Furthermore, the surface tension between the inner wall of the collection channel 411 and the metal droplets 21 also helps to keep the metal droplets 21 within the collection channel 411. When the continuously converging metal droplets 21 fill the collection channel 411, they can form a continuous metal column 211 within the collection channel 411. The length of this metal column 211 is usually the same as the length of the collection channel 411, but the two ends of the metal column 211 do not contact the two electrodes; that is, there is still a certain gap between the ends of the metal column 211 and the electrodes. Therefore, the liquid metal switch is initially in the off state.

[0059] like Figure 14As shown, when a user presses down on the porous polymer block 41 with their finger or other object, the polymer block undergoes elastic deformation, compressing the internal liquid collection channel 411. The metal liquid column 211 within the liquid collection channel 411 is then squeezed out to both ends of the channel under this compression, causing both ends of the metal liquid column 211 to simultaneously contact the two electrodes. At this time, the two electrodes form an electrical connection through the metal liquid column 211, and the liquid metal switch switches to the on state. Figure 15 As shown, when the pressing force is removed, the porous polymer block 41 recovers its initial shape due to its elasticity, the liquid collection channel 411 will expand again, and the metal liquid column 211 will also retract inward into the liquid collection channel 411. At this time, the two ends of the metal liquid column 211 are separated from the electrodes, the electrical connection is broken, and the liquid metal switch will return to the off state. Based on the above settings, the liquid metal switch can be repeatedly turned on and off by repeatedly pressing and releasing.

[0060] In the process of preparing the above-mentioned porous polymer block 41, such as Figure 12 As shown, a solid tube 12 can be placed in the container before the polymerization reaction occurs; after the polymerization forms a porous polymer block 41, the solid tube 12 can be removed, and the space occupied by the solid tube 12 will form a liquid collection channel 411.

[0061] It is understood that the number of porous polymer blocks 41 is not limited to one, but can be multiple, and the porous polymer blocks 41 can be used directly after manufacturing or cut into multiple pieces for use; when multiple porous polymer blocks 41 are pressed, the liquid collection channels 411 of the multiple porous polymer blocks 41 are connected in sequence, thereby maintaining long-term contact with the electrode. Specifically, as follows... Figure 16 As shown, liquid metal 2 can be distributed on the lower surface of porous polymer block 41 through outward permeation to form a liquid metal film 212. The two electrodes of electrode pair 1 are respectively connected to the liquid metal films 212 of the two porous polymer blocks 41, and the liquid metal films 212 are connected to the liquid metal columns 211 in the liquid collection channel 411. When the two porous polymer blocks 41 are subjected to downward pressing force, the liquid metal columns 211 in the two liquid collection channels 411 will be squeezed out to both ends of the liquid collection channel 411 under the compression, so that the opposite ends of the two liquid metal columns 211 come into contact. At this time, the two electrodes will form an electrical connection path through the liquid metal film 212 and the liquid metal columns 211, and the liquid metal switch will switch to the on state. When the pressing force is stopped, the two liquid metal columns 211 will no longer be in contact, and the electrical connection path will be automatically disconnected. In this way, the on and off states of electrode pair 1 can be controlled by the liquid metal columns 211 in the liquid collection channels 411 on the two porous polymer blocks 41.

[0062] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 17 to 19Liquid metal 2 is dispersed into multiple metal droplets 21 and mixed with in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3. The in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 is polymerized under the triggering of polymerization trigger 5 to form two porous polymer blocks 41. The two porous polymer blocks 41 are in one-to-one contact with the two electrodes of electrode pair 1. The pores of the porous polymer blocks 41 are formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets 21. During the outward seepage process, the metal droplets 21 are adsorbed on the surface of the porous polymer blocks 41 to form a metal liquid film 212. When the two porous polymer blocks 41 come into contact with each other, the two metal liquid films 212 form an electrical connection path; when the two porous polymer blocks 41 are separated from each other under the action of external force, the electrical connection path is broken.

[0063] In this embodiment, liquid metal 2 can be mixed with in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 in a container. The liquid metal 2 can be dispersed into tiny metal droplets 21 by mechanical stirring, ultrasonic vibration, or the addition of dispersing agents, thereby achieving a uniform distribution of liquid metal 2 within the container. Then, polymerization trigger 5 is added to the container, causing the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 to polymerize and form a solid polymer 4. Since the space occupied by the metal droplets 21 is not filled by the solid polymer 4 during polymerization, after polymerization, the space occupied by the metal droplets 21 becomes pores, thus giving the solid polymer 4 a sponge-like porous polymer block 41 shape. The metal droplets 21 are encased in the pores of the porous polymer block 41 and can move slowly between the pores. It is understood that the polymerization trigger 5 can also be pre-dissolved or mixed in the liquid metal 2 so that the solid polymer 4 can be formed directly after the liquid metal 2 is mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3.

[0064] After fabricating two porous polymer blocks 41, the two porous polymer blocks 41 can be respectively placed on the two electrodes of electrode pair 1, and the porous polymer blocks 41 can be left to stand for a preset time; for example Figure 17 As shown, the metal droplets 21 can gradually seep outward along the pores during the static process and eventually reach the outer surface of the porous polymer block 41. Alternatively, the metal droplets 21 can be accelerated to seep out by applying external force. Since the liquid metal 2 has a high surface tension, the metal droplets 21 that have seeped out will not drip immediately, but will be adsorbed on the outer surface of the porous polymer block 41 and gradually form a uniform metal liquid film 212.

[0065] Under normal circumstances, such as Figure 18 As shown, based on the surface tension of the liquid, the metal liquid film 212 on the surfaces of the two porous polymer blocks 41 come into contact with each other, thereby forming a continuous conductive layer. The two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 form an electrical connection path through this continuous conductive layer, so that the liquid metal switch is in the conducting state.

[0066] When it is necessary to disconnect the circuit, such as Figure 19As shown, an external force can be applied between the two porous polymer blocks 41 to separate them; when the two porous polymer blocks 41 separate, the metal liquid film 212 on the surface of the two porous polymer blocks 41 also separates, the electrical connection is broken, thereby causing the liquid metal switch to switch to the off state. When the external force is removed, as... Figure 18 As shown, the two porous polymer blocks 41 can re-contact to restore the electrical connection, allowing the liquid metal switch to conduct again. Based on the above scheme, repeated on / off operations of the liquid metal switch can be achieved. Furthermore, as... Figure 18 and Figure 19 As shown, a hydrophobic layer 10 can be provided between the two electrodes of electrode pair 1.

[0067] It should be noted that, as Figure 17 As shown, the metal liquid film 212 formed by the seepage of the metal droplet 21 does not need to completely cover the surface of the porous polymer block 41, but only needs to ensure that the metal liquid film 212 covers the contact point between the two porous polymer blocks 41, thereby ensuring the normal formation of the electrical connection path when the two porous polymer blocks 41 come into contact.

[0068] In one embodiment, refer to Figures 20 to 23 Liquid metal 2 is dispersed into multiple metal droplets 21 and mixed with polymerization trigger 5 to form mixed droplets 11; The in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 reacts with the polymerization trigger 5 on the surface of the mixed droplet 11 to form a capsule-shaped membrane 42, which is used to encapsulate the mixed droplet 11; the capsule-shaped membrane 42 is disposed between the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1. When the capsule membrane 42 ruptures under external force, the mixed droplets 11 inside the capsule membrane 42 flow outward, so that the liquid metal 2 in the mixed droplets 11 simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair 1 to form an electrical connection path.

[0069] In this embodiment, after the liquid metal 2 and the polymerization trigger 5 are mixed, they can be dispersed into tiny mixed droplets 11 by mechanical stirring, ultrasonic vibration, or the addition of dispersing agents. Then, the mixed droplets 11 are dropped into the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3 (e.g., sodium alginate solution) as the external phase, and then picked up. The polymerization trigger 5 on the surface of the mixed droplet 11 undergoes an interfacial crosslinking reaction with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid 3, which can form a solid capsule-like membrane 42 to completely encapsulate the mixed droplet 11. Since the reaction only occurs at the interface, the inside of the capsule-like membrane 42 still maintains the initial liquid mixed state.

[0070] The ratio of liquid metal 2 to polymerization trigger 5 in the mixed droplet 11 can be adjusted to two different configurations as needed. In the first configuration, the volumes of liquid metal 2 and polymerization trigger 5 are approximately equal; in the second configuration, the mixed droplet 11 is predominantly composed of liquid metal 2, with polymerization trigger 5 comprising only a small amount. Additionally, a thickener can be added to the mixed droplet 11 to increase viscosity, prevent droplet aggregation before polymerization, thereby ensuring uniform droplet dispersion and avoiding sedimentation.

[0071] The two electrodes of electrode pair 1 can be arranged horizontally or vertically. For example... Figure 21 As shown, the horizontal arrangement refers to two electrodes spaced apart along a horizontal plane, with multiple capsule-shaped membranes 42 dispersed near the electrode pair 1. Initially, the liquid metal switch is in the off state. When the multiple capsule-shaped membranes 42 rupture due to external forces such as artificial compression, the mixed droplets 11 flowing out of the capsule-shaped membranes 42 can simultaneously contact the two electrodes. At this time, the two electrodes can achieve electrical connection through the liquid metal 2 in the mixed droplets 11, thus turning the liquid metal switch into the on state. In the horizontal arrangement, the mixed droplets 11 flowing out after the capsule-shaped membranes 42 rupture are easily and evenly distributed between the two electrodes on the horizontal plane. Therefore, the requirement for the amount of liquid metal 2 is relatively low. The mixed droplets 11 can adopt the first form where the volume ratio of liquid metal 2 to polymer trigger 5 is close.

[0072] like Figure 22 As shown, the longitudinal arrangement refers to two electrodes spaced apart along a vertical plane, with multiple capsule-shaped membranes 42 dispersed near electrode pair 1; in the initial state, the liquid metal switch is in the open state; as shown... Figure 23 As shown, when multiple capsule-shaped membranes 42 rupture under external forces such as artificial compression, the mixed droplets 11 flowing out of the capsule-shaped membranes 42 can simultaneously contact the two electrodes. At this time, the two electrodes can be electrically connected through the liquid metal 2 in the mixed droplets 11, thereby turning the liquid metal switch into a conductive state. In the longitudinal arrangement, the liquid metal 2 flowing out after the capsule-shaped membranes 42 rupture needs to simultaneously cover the upper and lower electrodes under the action of gravity, requiring a relatively large amount of liquid metal 2. Therefore, the mixed droplets 11 should adopt the second form with liquid metal 2 as the main component.

[0073] In one embodiment, to disperse the liquid metal 2 into multiple tiny droplets (i.e., the metal droplets 21 or mixed droplets 11 in the above embodiments), a thickener can be added during the mixing process to assist dispersion. The thickener can be carboxymethyl cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, or a combination of both. Its function is to increase the viscosity of the mixture, prevent droplets from coalescing before polymerization, thereby ensuring the uniformity of droplet dispersion, avoiding sedimentation, and thus ensuring the smooth formation of a porous structure.

[0074] This application also provides an electronic device; please refer to [link / reference]. Figures 1 to 23 The electronic device includes the liquid metal switch in any of the above embodiments.

[0075] In this embodiment, electronic device can refer to any device that needs to control the on / off state of a circuit through a switch, specifically including batteries, printed electronic components, wearable devices, etc., without limitation.

[0076] For the specific structure of the liquid metal switch, please refer to the description of the above embodiments. Since the electronic device in this embodiment adopts all the technical solutions of all the above embodiments, it possesses at least all the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments. That is, in the initial stage, the on / off state can be flexibly switched using the fluidity of the liquid metal 2, and polymerization can be triggered by different methods such as chemical addition, heating, or light irradiation when needed, so that the solid polymer 4 formed by polymerization can lock the liquid metal 2 in a preset distribution state, thereby achieving the maintenance of the on or off state. This liquid metal switch does not rely on traditional mechanical moving parts, has a relatively simple structure, and is easy to integrate on a flexible substrate through printing and coating processes. It is highly compatible with printed electronics manufacturing processes, thus effectively solving the problems of difficulty in locking the switch state as needed and poor adaptability to flexible printed electronics processes in the prior art.

[0077] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of this application and does not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural transformations made based on the technical concept of this application and the contents of the specification and drawings of this application, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A liquid metal switch, characterized in that, The liquid metal switch includes: Electrode pairs; Liquid metal; An in-situ polymerization precursor solution is present in direct or indirect contact with the liquid metal; the in-situ polymerization precursor solution is configured to transform into a solid polymer when polymerization triggering conditions are met; the polymerization triggering conditions include at least one of the following: addition of a polymerization trigger, heating, or light irradiation. The solid polymer is used to confine the liquid metal to a first region or a second region; when the liquid metal is located in the first region, the liquid metal is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously to form an electrical connection path; when the liquid metal is located in the second region, the liquid metal is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously.

2. The liquid metal switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid metal switch further includes a receiving cavity; the electrode pair, the liquid metal, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are contained within the receiving cavity, wherein the density of the liquid metal is greater than the density of the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid; When the receiving cavity is in the first position, the liquid metal is in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously; when the receiving cavity is flipped to the second position, the liquid metal is not in contact with both electrodes of the electrode pair simultaneously. When the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid transforms into the solid polymer in the first or second orientation, the liquid metal is fixed at the current position.

3. The liquid metal switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid metal switch further includes a pneumatic drive chamber; the electrode pair, the liquid metal, and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are contained within the pneumatic drive chamber, and the liquid metal and the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid are mixed to form a mixed liquid; the polymerization trigger is fixed within the pneumatic drive chamber; When gas is generated in the pneumatic drive chamber, the mixed liquid approaches the polymerization trigger under the push of the gas to change the contact state between the liquid metal and the electrode pair; when the mixed liquid comes into contact with the polymerization trigger, the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid forms the solid polymer to fix the liquid metal in the current position.

4. The liquid metal switch according to claim 3, characterized in that, The gas generated in the pneumatically driven chamber is the gas produced by the battery side reaction.

5. The liquid metal switch according to claim 3, characterized in that, The polymerization trigger is spaced apart from the electrode pair; The liquid metal switch further includes a hydrophobic layer disposed on the electrode pair; the hydrophobic layer is used to facilitate the separation of the mixed liquid from the electrode pair.

6. The liquid metal switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor liquid. The in-situ polymerization precursor liquid polymerizes under the triggering of the polymerization trigger to form at least one porous polymer block. The pores of the porous polymer block are formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets. A liquid collection channel is provided through the porous polymer block, and the two electrodes of the electrode pair are distributed at both ends of the liquid collection channel. The metal droplets converge in the liquid collection channel under the action of external force to form a metal liquid column. When the porous polymer block deforms under the action of pressing and compresses the liquid collection channel, the metal liquid column extends outward from both ends of the liquid collection channel and contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair at the same time.

7. The liquid metal switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the in-situ polymerization precursor solution. The in-situ polymerization precursor solution polymerizes under the triggering of the polymerization trigger to form two porous polymer blocks. The two porous polymer blocks are in one-to-one contact with the two electrodes of the electrode pair. The pores of the porous polymer blocks are formed by the space occupied by the metal droplets. During the outward seepage process, the metal droplets are adsorbed onto the surface of the porous polymer blocks to form a metal liquid film. When the two porous polymer blocks come into contact with each other, the two liquid metal films form an electrical connection path; when the two porous polymer blocks are separated from each other under the action of external force, the electrical connection path is broken.

8. The liquid metal switch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets and mixed with the polymerization trigger to form mixed droplets; The in-situ polymerization precursor reacts with the polymerization trigger on the surface of the mixed droplet to form a capsule-like membrane, which is used to encapsulate the mixed droplet; the capsule-like membrane is disposed between the two electrodes of the electrode pair; When the capsule membrane ruptures under external force, the mixed droplets inside the capsule membrane flow outward, so that the liquid metal in the mixed droplets simultaneously contacts the two electrodes of the electrode pair to form an electrical connection path.

9. The liquid metal switch according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, The liquid metal is dispersed into multiple metal droplets with the aid of a thickener.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a liquid metal switch as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images