Recent progress on micro- and nanoparticles of gallium-based liquid metals: From preparation to applications

Gallium-based liquid metals are an attractive material for various applications, due to their excellent features such as high electrical and thermal conductivity, low toxicity, and low viscosity with fluidic nature at room temperature. In particulate form, novel properties are endowed to the liquid metal, such as the capabilities of shape transformation, plasmonic resonance and photothermal conversion. As a result, gallium-based liquid metal particles (GaLMPs) are of great importance in recent use for applications ranging from composites and electronics to biomedical applications. This review discusses the various preparation methods of GaLMPs and their advantages and challenges. Up-to-date applications based on the GaLMPs are also introduced.