Aplicaciones de metales líquidos para remediación ambiental y recolección de energía

Abstract

Gallium-Based Liquid Metals (GBLM) are emerging materials of particular interest because they own properties of metals and fluids, their toxicity is low, and they have high electrical and thermal conductivity. These and other distinctive features enable their usage as a versatile technological framework for sustainable solutions. The focus of this paper is on two main approaches of using GBLM under investigation at the EnviroMetaL Laboratory of the IIM Morelia Unit: environmental remediation and energy harvesting. In water remediation, GBLM have been used to synthesized photocatalysts. Such materials are activated by solar light and can degrade and mineralize emerging pollutants. This application offers a feasible strategy in recycling gallium and its alloys. In turn, two GBLM-based methodologies have been explored in energy harvesting: i) magnetohydrodynamic generators, that benefit from their high electrical conductivity to generate electric currents from the GBLM motion, and ii) GBLMs embedded in elastomers to develop flexible electronic devices able to convert mechanical energy from human motion into electrical energy. Due to their inherent properties, these systems can also be used for strain sensing. Although these materials are highly promising, their implementation faces several challenges, including scalability, control of surface oxidation, and stability. These challenges have motivated new lines of research currently under development at the EnviroMetaL Laboratory.