Washington, Dec 2 (IANS) Antennas are used in everything from cell phones to GPS devices. Now scientists have created antennas using an alloy that can be bent, stretched, cut and twisted.
These new antennas are made by injecting an alloy made up of the metals gallium and indium — which remains in liquid form at room temperature — into very small channels the width of a human hair, says Michael Dickey, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the study co-author.

The channels are hollow, like a straw, with openings at either end — but can be of any shape.

Once the alloy has filled the channel, the surface of the alloy oxidises, creating a “skin” that holds the alloy in place while allowing it to retain its liquid properties.

“Because the alloy remains a liquid,” Dickey says, “it takes on the mechanical properties of the material encasing it.”

For example, the researchers injected the alloy into elastic silicone channels, creating wire-like antennas that are incredibly resilient but can be manipulated into a variety of shapes.

“This flexibility is particularly attractive for antennas because the frequency of an antenna is determined by its shape,” says Dickey. “So you can tune these antennas by stretching them.”

While the alloy makes an effective antenna that could be used in a variety of existing electronic devices, its durability and flexibility also open the door to a host of new applications.

For example, an antenna in a flexible silicone shell could be used to monitor civil construction, such as bridges.

As the bridge expands and contracts, it would stretch the antenna — changing the frequency of the antenna, and providing civil engineers information wirelessly about the condition of the bridge, says an NCSU release.

These new findings were published in Advanced Functional Materials.