A self-fueled liquid metal motor
newscientist.com
A self-fueled liquid metal motor
1–10 of 14 posts
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#2When placed in a solution of sodium hydroxide, or even brine, and kept in contact with a flake of aluminium for "fuel", it moves around for about an hour.
So not quite self-powered.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#3Music is Afrola by Bird Creek. To me, it made the video much more engaging.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#4When placed in a solution of sodium hydroxide, or even brine, and kept in contact with a flake of aluminium for "fuel", it moves around for about an hour. So not quite self-powered.
We took "self-powered" out of the title.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#5When placed in a solution of sodium hydroxide, or even brine, and kept in contact with a flake of aluminium for "fuel", it moves around for about an hour. So not quite self-powered.
We took "self-powered" out of the title.
Chemist here: I think that's overly editorial. If there were an air-burning engine made of aluminum, which consumed itself for motive force, we might describe that as self-fueled. In general the reducing agent is considered fuel and the oxidizer is assumed; a motor that oxidizes aluminum using hydroxide is not that different from one that oxidizes it using oxygen.
Edit: The flake of aluminum fuel physically gloms onto the motor, and aluminum will normally form an oxide that would prevent hydroxide (certainly brine) from reducing it. It's not a 'mere' fuel that's physically driving the droplet, there's a single reaction happening. My hunch is that's where the tin comes in.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
We took "self-powered" out of the title.
Chemist here: I think that's overly editorial. If there were an air-burning engine made of aluminum, which consumed itself for motive force, we might describe that as self-fueled. In general the reducing agent is considered fuel and the oxidizer is assumed; a motor that oxidizes aluminum using hydroxide is not that different from one that oxidizes it using oxygen. Edit: The flake of aluminum fuel physically gloms ont…
Thanks for the great comment! We put 'self-fueled' back in the title.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#7Reminds me of those little soap-chip powered toy boats we made as kids.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#8When placed in a solution of sodium hydroxide, or even brine, and kept in contact with a flake of aluminium for "fuel", it moves around for about an hour. So not quite self-powered.
[deleted]
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
We took "self-powered" out of the title.
Chemist here: I think that's overly editorial. If there were an air-burning engine made of aluminum, which consumed itself for motive force, we might describe that as self-fueled. In general the reducing agent is considered fuel and the oxidizer is assumed; a motor that oxidizes aluminum using hydroxide is not that different from one that oxidizes it using oxygen. Edit: The flake of aluminum fuel physically gloms ont…
Pretty sure the tin is just to help get the low temperature eutectic of Galinstan. I am pretty sure mercury would work just as well, but children and grad students don't get to play with Mercury much any more.
Re: A self-fueled liquid metal motor
#10Music is Afrola by Bird Creek. To me, it made the video much more engaging.
Indeed. Visions of Feynman doing a record with Fela Kuti are passing through my mind right this instant.