Phase‐Transformation‐Driven Orientation Selection and Anisotropic Properties in Gallium Microfibers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Ga-based liquid-metal (Ga-LM) microfibers are promising one-dimensional phase-change materials for variable-stiffness and electrically tunable devices. However, their solid-state properties remain difficult to control because of the polymorphism of Ga and the highly anisotropic bonding in the ambient-pressure stable α-Ga phase. Here, we investigate crystallographic orientation selection in Ga microfibers under different triggered phase-transformation pathways and clarify its influence on electrical and mechanical properties. During the triggered liquid-solid transition, the axial orientation of the resulting α-Ga single-crystal fibers is governed by the orientation of the α-Ga seed crystal and the local interfacial contact conditions. In contrast, after the triggered β-Ga→α-Ga solid-solid transition, no obvious inheritance from the initial α-Ga axial orientation is observed; instead, the final α-Ga fibers preferentially adopt an axial orientation close to [0 1 0]. This preferential orientation is attributed to a low-mismatch, low-strain transformation pathway associated with the β-Ga→α-Ga transition. The resulting α-Ga fibers exhibit pronounced electrical and mechanical anisotropy, especially between the [0 1 0] direction and the [1 0 0]/[0 0 1] directions. This work establishes a link among triggered transformation pathways, seed/interface-controlled orientation selection, and anisotropic properties in Ga microfibers, providing a strategy for tailoring liquid-metal fibers for programmable electronic and mechanically adaptive devices.

Source: Small

DOI: 10.1002/smll.74744

Authors: Jinyun Liu, Jianfang Yang, Jingying Kan, Huali Yang, Huihui Tian, Xiangling Xia, Feng Xu, Qi Zhang, Zidong He, Jun‐Qiang Wang, Juntao Huo, Yiwei Liu, Ri He, Jie Shang, Run‐Wei Li

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Materials and Mechanics

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Youth Innovation Promotion Association, Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province

OpenAlex ID: W7204158879