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Liquid metal particles can self-assemble into electronics

A cheap method for forming the tiny components of chips, such as transistors and diodes, harnesses simple fluid physics to make the electronics self-assembling

By Jeremy Hsu

16 December 2024

A crosshatch pattern of wires created by self-assembling liquid metal particles

Julia Chang / North Carolina State University

Self-assembling electronics made from liquid metal particles could provide a cheaper way of manufacturing computer chips, simply by harnessing the basic physics of how fluids flow through tiny structures.

β€œThe cost of entry in manufacturing electronics and building new chip fabrication plants in the US right now, we’re talking billions of dollars,” says at North Carolina State University. β€œIt’s not cheap.”

Thuo and his colleagues first created a mixture of…

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