# Comprehensive News Summary: Shape-Shifting Electronic Ink ## News Metadata * **News Title:** Scientists invent weird, shape-shifting ‘electronic ink’ that could give rise to a new generation of flexible gadgets * **Type:** Technology, Robot * **Report Provider/Publisher:** livescience.com * **Author:** Owen Hughes * **Date of Publication:** June 28, 2025 (News Article); May 30 (Journal Publication) * **Relevant News Identifiers:** URL: `https://www.livescience.com/technology/electronics/scientists-invent-weird-shape-shifting-electronic-ink-that-could-give-rise-to-a-new-generation-of-flexible-gadgets` ## Summary of Key Findings and Innovations Scientists have developed a novel "electronic ink" that enables printed electronic circuits to dynamically switch between rigid and soft states when heated. This breakthrough, published on **May 30** in the journal *Science Advances*, holds significant potential for next-generation electronic devices that can adapt their shape or stiffness based on their application and environment. ### Core Technology and Mechanism The innovative ink combines two primary components: 1. **Gallium:** A metal that is solid at room temperature but melts at a temperature just below body temperature, specifically **98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius)**. 2. **Polymer-based solvent:** This solvent breaks down when gently heated. The researchers addressed long-standing challenges associated with using gallium in printed electronics, such as its high surface tension and tendency to oxidize (form a crust) when exposed to air. Their solution involves dispersing microscopic gallium particles into a flexible, ink-like polymer matrix using a solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). When the printed circuit is gently heated, the DMSO solvent breaks down, creating a slightly acidic environment. This acidity effectively strips away the oxide layer from the gallium particles, allowing them to melt and merge to form conductive pathways. The resulting material becomes conductive after heating and can then change its stiffness in response to temperature fluctuations. ### Performance and Capabilities * **Print Resolution:** The ink can be used to print features as small as **50 micrometers (0.002 inches or 0.005 centimeters)**, which is thinner than a human hair. * **Stiffness Modulation:** During tests, the material demonstrated a remarkable change in stiffness, becoming **more than 1,400 times softer when warmed**. * **Manufacturing Compatibility:** The ink is compatible with common manufacturing techniques such as screen printing and dip coating, suggesting potential for larger-scale or 3D-printed electronics in the future. ### Applications and Demonstrations This "variable-stiffness electronics" technology aims to bridge the gap between rigid devices (like smartphones) and soft systems (like wearables), offering the best of both worlds. Potential applications include: * **Medical implants:** Devices that can remain rigid for precise insertion during surgery and then soften inside the body to reduce irritation and inflammation. * **Flexible robotics:** Robots capable of changing their physical properties. * **Personal electronics:** Gadgets that can adapt their form factor for comfort or durability. The research team successfully built two working devices to demonstrate the technology's utility: 1. **Wearable Health Device:** This device behaves as a rigid portable electronic at room temperature but softens upon contact with skin, enhancing user comfort. 2. **Flexible Brain Implant:** Designed to be rigid during surgery for accurate placement, it then softens once inside the brain to minimize irritation and inflammation. ### Expert Commentary Jae-Woong Jeong, a professor of electrical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and a study co-author, emphasized the significance of the research: * "This opens up new possibilities for future personal electronics, medical devices and robotics." * "The core achievement of this research lies in overcoming the longstanding challenges of liquid metal printing through our innovative technology. By controlling the ink's acidity, we were able to electrically and mechanically connect printed gallium particles, enabling the room-temperature fabrication of high-resolution, large-area circuits with tunable stiffness."
Scientists invent weird, shape-shifting ‘electronic ink’ that could give rise to a new generation of flexible gadgets
Read original at livescience.com →(Image credit: Authors: Simok Lee et al.)Scientists have developed a new kind of "electronic ink" that can be used to print electronic circuits capable of switching between rigid and soft states when heated.The technology could pave the way for next-generation electronic devices that change shape or stiffness depending on how and where they’re used, from medical implants that soften inside the body to flexible robotics.
The ink combines gallium, a metal that's solid at room temperature but melts just below body temperature — 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit( 37 degrees Celsius) — with a polymer-based solvent that breaks down when gently heated. The result is a stable, printable substance that becomes conductive after heating and can change its stiffness in response to temperature.
The findings were published May 30 in the journal Science Advances."This opens up new possibilities for future personal electronics, medical devices and robotics," study co-author Jae-Woong Jeong, professor of electrical engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), said in a statement.
Related: Unique transistor 'could change the world of electronics' thanks to nanosecond-scale switching speeds and refusal to wear outMost electronics today fall into one of two camps: rigid devices like smartphones and laptops, which offer performance and durability at the cost of flexibility; or soft systems like wearables, which are more comfortable to wear but can be harder to fabricate precisely or integrate with more complex components.
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.From hardware to soft-wearSo-called variable-stiffness electronics aim to bridge this gap, enabling devices to shift between hard and soft states as needed.Gallium has long attracted interest in this area because of how differently it behaves in solid and liquid forms.
But using it for printed electronics has proven difficult due to its high surface tension and tendency to oxidize when exposed to air, forming a kind of crust that prevents it from bonding or spreading properly.To address this, the researchers developed a process for dispersing microscopic gallium particles into a polymer matrix — essentially a flexible, ink-like base — using a solvent called dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
When the printed circuit is gently heated, the solvent breaks down and creates a slightly acidic environment. This strips away the oxide layer from the gallium particles, enabling them to melt and merge to form conductive pathways.The resulting ink can be used to print features as small as 50 micrometers (0.
002 inches or 0.005 centimeters) — thinner than a human hair — and can alternate between plastic-like hardness and rubbery softness as needed. The researchers said that the material became more than 1,400 times softer when warmed during tests.The team built two working devices to demonstrate how the bendy technology might be used.
One was a wearable health device that behaves like a rigid portable electronic at room temperature, then softens on contact with skin to improve comfort. The other was a flexible brain implant that remained rigid during surgery so it could be precisely inserted, and then softened once inside the brain to help reduce irritation and inflammation.
The ink can be used with common manufacturing techniques such as screen printing and dip coating, meaning it could be used in larger-scale or 3D-printed electronics in the future, the researchers said."The core achievement of this research lies in overcoming the longstanding challenges of liquid metal printing through our innovative technology," Jeong said in the statement.
"By controlling the ink's acidity, we were able to electrically and mechanically connect printed gallium particles, enabling the room-temperature fabrication of high-resolution, large-area circuits with tunable stiffness."Owen Hughes is a freelance writer and editor specializing in data and digital technologies.
Previously a senior editor at ZDNET, Owen has been writing about tech for more than a decade, during which time he has covered everything from AI, cybersecurity and supercomputers to programming languages and public sector IT. Owen is particularly interested in the intersection of technology, life and work – in his previous roles at ZDNET and TechRepublic, he wrote extensively about business leadership, digital transformation and the evolving dynamics of remote work.
