Self-repairing conductive material made from liquid metal

Virginia Tech's VT MADE Lab has created a flexible composite of gallium-indium liquid metal alloy droplets suspended in a PDMS polymer matrix. The material conducts electricity and heat, stretches, self-repairs after cuts, and can be cast, molded or 3D printed.

• Composite uses gallium-indium alloy droplets inside a PDMS polymer matrix
• Material self-repairs broken circuits when punctured or cut
• Conductivity activates only after selectively popping matrix bubbles
• Can be poured, molded and 3D printed into custom geometries