[masraum]

Room temperature metal glue that conducts heat and electricity

History, Travel, Arts, Science, People, Places | Smithsonian

Just a small excerpt of the article

Almost all electronics in our lives—computers, stereos, toasters—contain printed circuit boards upon which different components are soldered. This soldering is often done by hand, an incredibly delicate procedure with little room for error.

But now, this soldering may be a thing of the past. A team of researchers at Boston’s Northeastern University have come up with a way to “glue” metal to metal at room temperature, no heat required.

Hanchen Huang, a professor and chair of Northeastern’s department of mechanical and industrial engineering, and two of his PhD students came up with the process, which they call MesoGlue. The team’s research was published this month in the journal Advanced Materials and Processes.

The process works by taking advantage of metallic nanorods—tiny metal rods just 10 or 20 nanometers wide, coated with iridium on one side and gallium on the other. The rods are arranged in lines on an upper and a lower substrate, like teeth on a zipper. When the teeth are interlaced, the iridium and gallium touch and become liquid. Then, the core of the metallic nanorods turns that liquid into a solid, creating a firm bond. The whole process takes less than a minute.

“It happens at room temperature, pretty much with just your fingertip pressure,” Huang says.

Unlike standard polymer glue, the metal glue stays strong at high temperatures and under high pressure. It’s also an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and resists air and gas leaks.