Liquid metal thin films: Preparation and applications in flexible electronics

Flexible electronics is profoundly leading the wave of transformation in fields such as wearable devices, health monitoring, and intelligent robots, and material innovation is undoubtedly the core driving force behind this revolution. As a new type of material prepared by compounding liquid metals (LM) with other materials, LM thin films, with their unique properties, have become an ideal candidate in the field of flexible electronics preparation, laying a solid foundation for the vigorous development of flexible electronics technology.

A university in Nanjing, China, has recently outlined the status of flexible electronics based on LM thin films, aiming to advance research in this field.

The team published their review in Nano Research on September 23, 2025.

This review provides a detailed summary of the latest progress in flexible electronics based on LM thin films. Firstly, starting from the principles of processing technologies, it outlines innovative preparation techniques for LM thin films, covering pattern printing methods, various coating technologies, and interface-driven assembly, etc. The paper elaborates on the basic design principles involving the adjustment of the proportions of constituent materials and process conditions, and explores how material composition affects the performance of the thin films under different experimental conditions or parameters. Secondly, it summarizes the innovative applications of LM thin films in the field of flexible electronics, delving into their structural principles and performance characteristics in flexible sensors, electromagnetic shielding, energy storage devices, and actuators. Despite the significant achievements made so far, LM thin films still need to overcome challenges such as "uniform film formation" and "long-term stability". The study suggests that optimizing processes through molecular simulation and developing special additives to improve fluidity may be the key to breaking through these predicaments. Therefore, with the development of large-scale preparation technologies for high-performance LM thin films, their integrated applications in sensors, neuromorphic systems, thermal management, and energy storage devices will help drive flexible electronics toward the direction of intelligent robots with high collaborative adaptability and high dynamic reliability.

Other contributors include Shujiao Chen, Yihang Cao, Shujing Zhu, Le Yao, Shukai Zhang, Yaowen Xu, Haoyu Sheng, Shujuan Liu from the State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LoFE) & Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM) at Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications in Nanjing, China and Qiang Zhao is also from the College of Electronic and Optical Engineering & College of Flexible Electronics (Future Technology) at Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications in Nanjing, China and School of Electronics and Information Technology at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Nanjing, China.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62174086, 62474096 and 62288102), Basic Research Program of Jiangsu (BK20243057), Outstanding Youth Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20240139), Qinglan Project of Jiangsu Province of China, National Entrepreneurship Training Program for College Students (202510293240E).

About Nano Research

Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2024 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2024 IF is 9.0 (8.7, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.