Numerical study of the conductive liquid metal elastomeric composites

Abstract

Flexible composites of liquid metal droplets dispersed in compliant elastomers display multifunctional properties that could be leveraged for applications in soft robotics and electronics. One function of these liquid composites is the unique, tunable thermal-mechanical properties. While thermal conductivity in these systems has been studied experimentally and with effective medium theories, robust computational models remain underdeveloped. Computational models could shed light on the effect of microstructure on material properties, therefore guiding material design. In this work, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) micromechanical computational methodology was developed for quick and efficient analysis of the effective thermal properties of these soft matter composites. The work presents the formulation and implementation of the methods needed for this purpose. Computationally predicted thermal properties are compared against experiments to gauge the validity of the modeling method. The critical effect of anisotropic liquid metal dispersion observed in these systems on the effective thermal conductivity of the composite is also presented. The study wraps up with some concluding remarks and suggestions for future work.