Laser treatment for creating a substrate-free liquid metal and its various applications

Room temperature liquid metal, such as eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) or Galinstan, is a promising conducting material for stretchable electronics due to its unique liquid-inherited properties. However, the fluidic characteristic bounds liquid metal to a substrate since it cannot stand alone without the support of a substrate underneath. This fact limits various applications of liquid metal when it comes to be used in stretchable electronics. Here, we have exposed a continuous wave laser (532 nm) to a liquid metal-silver nanowire film to overcome this limitation and make it become substrate-free. With the substrate-free patterned film, we have demonstrated diverse applications that has not been possible.