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Biosensors
Special Issues
Liquid Metal Enabled Bio-Related Applications
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Liquid Metal Enabled Bio-Related Applications

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 18562

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Shiyang Tang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT​, UK
Interests: microfluidic devices; MEMS; liquid metal; nanoparticles; dielectrophoresis; soft matter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Khashayar Khoshmanesh

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Engineering, RMIT University, City Campus, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: microfluidics; lab-on-a-chip; organ-on-a-chip; mechanobiology; soft matter
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xing Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
Interests: micro/nano-motors; intelligent micro/nanomachine; enzyme catalysis; biosensors; multifunctional nanoparticles; target drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Liquid metals, such as gallium and gallium-based alloys, are a special family of materials that simultaneously possess both metallic and fluidic properties. They exhibit numerous unique and attractive properties, such as low viscosity, high surface tension, good fluidity, and high electrical/thermal conductivity, and most importantly, are much less toxic in comparison with their more hazardous counterpart—mercury. They have received special attention for applications in fields such as electronics, microelectromechanical systems, and energy.

Because of their unique properties and relatively good biocompatibility, the exploration and application of liquid metals in bio-related fields have been evolving rapidly in recent years. For example, nanoparticles of liquid metals have been used as transformable carriers for drug delivery and cancer therapy applications; molecular imaging of organs has been demonstrated using liquid metals, by harnessing their propertied of good fluidity and high radiographic densities; implantable electrodes made from liquid metals have been investigated for nerve connection and stimulation; and wearable/flexible electronic biosensors for monitoring complex body motions have been fabricated by embedding liquid metals into elastomer films.

Liquid metals provide an extraordinary combination of deformability, flexibility, multifunctionality, and biocompatibility, rendering them promising candidates for a wide range of bio-related applications that cannot be achieved using conventional materials. It is therefore necessary to solicit recent advances in the research of liquid metal-enabled bio-related applications to revolutionize the future of this material.

In this Special Issue of Biosensors, we seek the state-of-the-art research and development efforts in the exploration of bio-related applications of liquid metals. Both original article and review submissions are welcome.

Dr. Shiyang Tang
Dr. Khashayar Khoshmanesh
Prof. Dr. Xing Ma
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • liquid metals
  • gallium
  • EGaIn
  • galinstan
  • biosensors
  • bioelectronics
  • microfluidics
  • biomedicine
  • biomimetics

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3206 KiB  
Article
A Deformation of a Mercury Droplet under Acceleration in an Annular Groove
by HanYang Xu, Yulong Zhao, Kai Zhang, Zixi Wang and Kyle Jiang
Biosensors 2020, 10(6), 61; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bios10060061 - 09 Jun 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3515
Abstract
Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) liquid sensors may be used under large acceleration conditions. It is important to understand the deformation of the liquid droplets under acceleration for the design and applications of MEMS liquid sensors, as this will affect the performance of the sensors. [...] Read more.
Microelectromechanical system (MEMS) liquid sensors may be used under large acceleration conditions. It is important to understand the deformation of the liquid droplets under acceleration for the design and applications of MEMS liquid sensors, as this will affect the performance of the sensors. This paper presents an investigation into the deformation of a mercury droplet in a liquid MEMS sensor under accelerations and reports the relationship between the deformation and the accelerations. The Laminar level set method was used in the numerical process. The geometric model consisted of a mercury droplet of 2 mm in diameter and an annular groove of 2.5 mm in width and 2.5 mm in height. The direction of the acceleration causing the droplet to deform is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. Fabrication and acceleration experiments were conducted. The deformation of the liquid was recorded using a high-speed camera. Both the simulation and experimental results show that the characteristic height of the droplets decreases as the acceleration increases. At an acceleration of 10 m/s2, the height of the droplet is reduced from 2 to 1.658 mm, and at 600 m/s2 the height is further reduced to 0.246 mm. The study finds that the droplet can deform into a flat shape but does not break even at 600 m/s2. Besides, the properties of the material in the domain surrounding the droplet and the contact angle also affect the deformation of the droplet. This work demonstrates the deformation of the liquid metal droplets under acceleration and provides the basis for the design of MEMS droplet acceleration sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Metal Enabled Bio-Related Applications)
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Review

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21 pages, 7253 KiB  
Review
Biomedical Applications of Liquid Metal Nanoparticles: A Critical Review
by Haiyue Li, Ruirui Qiao, Thomas P. Davis and Shi-Yang Tang
Biosensors 2020, 10(12), 196; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bios10120196 - 30 Nov 2020
Cited by 60 | Viewed by 6451
Abstract
This review is focused on the basic properties, production, functionalization, cytotoxicity, and biomedical applications of liquid metal nanoparticles (LMNPs), with a focus on particles of the size ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers. Applications, including cancer therapy, medical imaging, and pathogen treatment [...] Read more.
This review is focused on the basic properties, production, functionalization, cytotoxicity, and biomedical applications of liquid metal nanoparticles (LMNPs), with a focus on particles of the size ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers. Applications, including cancer therapy, medical imaging, and pathogen treatment are discussed. LMNPs share similar properties to other metals, such as photothermal conversion ability and a propensity to form surface oxides. Compared to many other metals, especially mercury, the cytotoxicity of gallium is low and is considered by many reports to be safe when applied in vivo. Recent advances in exploring different grafting molecules are reported herein, as surface functionalization is essential to enhance photothermal therapeutic effects of LMNPs or to facilitate drug delivery. This review also outlines properties of LMNPs that can be exploited in making medical imaging contrast agents, ion channel regulators, and anti-pathogenic agents. Finally, a foresight is offered, exemplifying underexplored knowledge and highlighting the research challenges faced by LMNP science and technology in expanding into applications potentially yielding clinical advances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Metal Enabled Bio-Related Applications)
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29 pages, 5418 KiB  
Review
Liquid Metal Based Flexible and Implantable Biosensors
by Mingkuan Zhang, Xiaohong Wang, Zhiping Huang and Wei Rao
Biosensors 2020, 10(11), 170; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bios10110170 - 10 Nov 2020
Cited by 44 | Viewed by 7811
Abstract
Biosensors are the core elements for obtaining significant physiological information from living organisms. To better sense life information, flexible biosensors and implantable sensors that are highly compatible with organisms are favored by researchers. Moreover, materials for preparing a new generation of flexible sensors [...] Read more.
Biosensors are the core elements for obtaining significant physiological information from living organisms. To better sense life information, flexible biosensors and implantable sensors that are highly compatible with organisms are favored by researchers. Moreover, materials for preparing a new generation of flexible sensors have also received attention. Liquid metal is a liquid-state metallic material with a low melting point at or around room temperature. Owing to its high electrical conductivity, low toxicity, and superior fluidity, liquid metal is emerging as a highly desirable candidate in biosensors. This paper is dedicated to reviewing state-of-the-art applications in biosensors that are expounded from seven aspects, including pressure sensor, strain sensor, gas sensor, temperature sensor, electrical sensor, optical sensor, and multifunctional sensor, respectively. The fundamental scientific and technological challenges lying behind these recommendations are outlined. Finally, the perspective of liquid metal-based biosensors is present, which stimulates the upcoming design of biosensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Metal Enabled Bio-Related Applications)
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