Liquidmetal

Liquid metal, created by Dr. Atakan Peker, contain atoms of significantly different sizes. They form a dense mix with low free volume. Unlike crystalline metals, there is no obvious melting point at which viscosity drops suddenly. Vitreloy behaves more like other glasses, in that its viscosity drops gradually with increased temperature. At high temperature, it behaves in a plastic manner, allowing the mechanical properties to be controlled relatively easily during casting. The viscosity prevents the atoms moving enough to form an ordered lattice, so the material retains its amorphous properties even after being heat-formed.

The alloys have relatively low softening temperatures, allowing casting of complex shapes without needing finishing. The material properties immediately after casting are much better than those of conventional metals; usually, cast metals have worse properties than forged or wrought ones. The alloys are also malleable at low temperatures ({{convert|400|°C|disp=or}} for the earliest formulation), and can be molded. The low free volume also results in low shrinkage during cooling. For all of these reasons, Liquidmetal can be formed into complex shapes using processes similar to thermoplastics,{{Cite news |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3618/is_200303/ai_n9214729 |title=Liquid metal behaves like plastic |work=Manufacturing Engineering |date=March 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051206050731/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3618/is_200303/ai_n9214729 |archive-date=2005-12-06}} which makes Liquidmetal a potential replacement for many applications where plastics would normally be used.

Due to their non-crystalline (amorphous) structures, Liquidmetals are harder than alloys of titanium or aluminum of similar composition. The zirconium and titanium based Liquidmetal alloys achieved yield strength of over 1723 MPa, nearly twice the strength of conventional crystalline titanium alloys ({{chem|Ti|6|Al|4|V}} is ~830 MPa), and about the strength of high-strength steels and some highly engineered bulk composite materials (see tensile strength for a list of common materials). However, the early casting methods introduced microscopic flaws that were excellent sites for crack propagation which led to Vitreloy being fragile like glass. Although strong, these early batches shattered easily when struck. Newer casting methods, adjustments of the alloy mixtures and other changes have improved this.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

The lack of grain boundaries contributes to the high yield strength (and thereby resilience) exhibited. In a demonstration, a metal sphere dropped on amorphous steel bounced significantly longer than the same metal sphere dropped on crystalline steel.{{YouTube|RAQIioLteuM|Official Liquidmetal Ball Bouncer Demonstration}}

The lack of grain boundaries in a metallic glass eliminates grain-boundary corrosion—a common problem in high-strength alloys produced by precipitation hardening and sensitized stainless steels. Liquidmetal alloys are therefore generally more corrosion resistant, both due to the mechanical structure as well as the elements used in its alloy. The combination of mechanical hardness, high elasticity and corrosion resistance makes Liquidmetal wear resistant.

Although at high temperatures, plastic deformation occurs easily, almost none occurs at room temperature before the onset of catastrophic failure. This limits the material's applicability in reliability-critical applications, as the impending failure is not evident. The material is also susceptible to metal fatigue with crack growth. A two-phase composite structure with amorphous matrix and a ductile dendritic crystalline-phase reinforcement, or a metal matrix composite reinforced with fibers of other material can reduce or eliminate this disadvantage.{{Cite journal |last=Telford |first=Mark |date=March 2004 |title=The case for bulk metallic glass |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1369702104001245 |journal=Materials Today |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=36–43 |doi=10.1016/S1369-7021(04)00124-5|doi-access=free }}

Liquidmetal combines a number of features that are normally not found in any one material. This makes them useful in a wide variety of applications.

One of the first commercial uses of Liquidmetal was in golf clubs made by the company, where the highly elastic metal was used in portions of the club face.{{cite journal |title=Liquid Golf |first=Jim |last=Gorant |journal=Popular Mechanics |date=July 1998 |url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1283186.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061212183023/http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/1283186.html |archivedate=December 12, 2006}} These were highly rated by users, but the product was later dropped, in part because the prototypes shattered after fewer than 40 hits.{{cite web |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18624931.000 |title=Metallic glass: A drop of the hard stuff |date=2005-04-02 |author=Catherine Zandonella |publisher=New Scientist no. 2493 |accessdate=2013-06-10 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022012246/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18624931.000 |archivedate=October 22, 2012}} Since then, Liquidmetal has appeared in other sports equipment, including the cores of golf balls, skis, baseball and softball bats, and tennis racquets.{{Cite web |title=Liquidmetal's latest portfolio gets solid reviews - PGATOUR.COM |url=http://www.golfweb.com/u/ce/multi/0,1977,6667479,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031001222447/http://www.golfweb.com/u/ce/multi/0,1977,6667479,00.html |archive-date=2003-10-01 }}

The ability to be cast and molded, combined with high wear resistance, has also led to Liquidmetal being used as a replacement for plastics in some applications.{{Cite web |title=When it comes to churning out electrons, metal glass beats plastics |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121104155.htm |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=ScienceDaily |language=en}} It has been used on the casing of late-model SanDisk "Cruzer Titanium" USB flash drives as well as their Sansa line of flash-based MP3 player, and casings of some mobile phones, like the luxury Vertu products, and other toughened consumer electronics.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}} Liquidmetal was used in the Biolase dental laser Ilase{{cite web |url=https://www.biolase.com/products/dental-lasers-soft-tissue/ilase/ |title=Biolase Dental Laser ILASE® |date=20 November 2018 |website=Biolase}} and the Socketmobile ring bar code scanner. Liquidmetal has also notably been used for making the SIM ejector tool of some iPhone 3Gs made by Apple Inc., shipped in the US. This was done by Apple as an exercise to test the viability of usage of the metal.{{cite web |url=http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/08/17/liquidmetal_created_sim_ejector_tool_for_apples_iphone_ipad.html |title=Liquidmetal created SIM ejector tool for Apple's iPhone, iPad |publisher=Appleinsider.com |date=2010-08-17 |accessdate=2013-06-10}} They retain a scratch-free surface longer than competing materials, while still being made in complex shapes. The same qualities lend it to use as protective coatings for industrial machinery, including petroleum drill pipes and power plant boiler tubes.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}

It also replaces titanium in applications ranging from medical instruments and cars to the military and aerospace industry. In military applications, amorphous metals could replace depleted uranium in kinetic energy penetrators.{{cite web |url=http://www.liquidmetal.com/applications/defense-applications/ |title=Defense and Tactical Applications |publisher=Liquidmetal Technologies |accessdate=2012-05-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323060333/http://www.liquidmetal.com/applications/defense-applications/ |archivedate=March 23, 2013}} Plates of Liquidmetal were used in the solar wind ion collector array in the Genesis space probe.{{Citation needed|date=December 2010}}

A range of zirconium-based alloys have been marketed under this trade name. Some example compositions are listed below, in molar percent:

• An early alloy, Vitreloy 1:{{cite journal |last=Demetriou |first=Marios D |author2=Johnson, William L |title=Shear flow characteristics and crystallization kinetics during steady non-isothermal flow of Vitreloy-1 |journal=Acta Materialia |date=12 July 2004 |volume=52 |issue=12 |pages=3403–3412 |doi=10.1016/j.actamat.2004.03.034 |bibcode=2004AcMat..52.3403D}}
• : Zirconium: 41.2, beryllium: 22.5, titanium: 13.8, copper: 12.5, nickel: 10
• A variant, Vitreloy 4 (Vit4):
• : Zirconium: 46.75, beryllium: 27.5, titanium: 8.25, copper: 7.5, nickel: 10
• Vitreloy 105 (Vit105):{{cite journal |last=Morrison |first=M.L. |author2=R.A. Buchanan |author3=P.K. Law |author4=B.A. Green |author5=G.Y. Wang |author6=C.T. Liu |author7=J.A. Horton |title=Four-point-bending-fatigue behavior of the Zr-based Vitreloy 105 bulk metallic glass |journal=Materials Science and Engineering: A |date=15 October 2007 |volume=467 |issue=1–2 |pages=190–197 |doi=10.1016/j.msea.2007.05.066}}
• : Zirconium: 52.5, titanium: 5, copper: 17.9, nickel: 14.6, aluminium: 10
• A more recent development (Vitreloy 106a), which forms glass under less rapid cooling:
• : Zirconium: 58.5, copper: 15.6, nickel: 12.8, aluminium: 10.3, niobium: 2.8

• Apple Inc., acquired a perpetual, exclusive license to use the technologies developed after 2010 in consumer electronics.{{cite news |url=https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/23/apple-renews-liquidmetal-rights/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160712170638/https://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/23/apple-renews-liquidmetal-rights/ |archive-date=July 12, 2016 |access-date=Feb 18, 2017 |title=Apple Renews Exclusive Rights to Liquidmetal Technologies' Alloys |work=MacRumors}}
• The Swatch Group, was granted an exclusive license to utilize Liquidmetal alloys developed after 2010 in its timepieces.''{{cite web |title=Swatch Group signs Exclusive License Agreement with Liquidmetal Technologies |url=http://www.swatchgroup.com/en/services/archive/2011/swatch_group_signs_exclusive_license_agreement_with_liquidmetal_technologies |date=March 10, 2011 |publisher=The Swatch Group |work=Press release |accessdate=2013-06-10 |quote=Liquidmetal Technologies Inc. (OTCBB: LQMT) and The Swatch Group Ltd (SIX: Uhr / Uhr N) today announced that they have signed an exclusive licensing agreement, allowing the Swiss manufacturer to utilize the Liquidmetal alloy technology worldwide. Within the Swatch Group, the Liquidmetal technology has been used for the first time in 2009 for the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, and in 2010 for the Breguet «Reveil Musical». The present contract will allow the Swatch Group to use the technology exclusively in their entire line of timepieces.}}

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• [https://liquidmetal.com/ Official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050308160926/http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0203/Perepezko-0203.html Overview of amorphous metals]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050209235806/http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/Spinoff2004/ch_7.html NASA Spinoff 2004: Amorphous Alloy Surpasses Steel and Titanium]
• [https://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/technologies/liquidmetal.html Another NASA article on LiquidMetal]
• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071210001743/http://www.sciwrite.caltech.edu/journal03/owensmichael.html |date=December 10, 2007 |title=Caltech article}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210043001/http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/80802/Crazy_Liquid_Metal_Material_Shows_Extreme_Elasticity_Features.html Live Video demonstration showing elastic properties of Liquidmetal]

Category:Alloys

Category:Amorphous metals

Category:Apple Inc. industrial design

Category:California Institute of Technology

Category:Products introduced in 2003

Category:The Swatch Group