工程研究——跨学科视野中的工程2026，Vol.18Issue(4)：438-451,14.DOI:10.3724/j.issn.1674-4969.20260061
液态金属研究的超学科性、泛学科交叉性及其工程学启示
The Transdisciplinarity and Broad Interdisciplinary Nature of Liquid Metals Studies and Its Engineering Implications
摘要
Abstract
Liquid metals such as gallium-or bismuth-based alloys,along with their derived materials,can achieve reversible transitions between liquid and solid states as well as between flexible and rigid states at room temperature.Owing to their plentiful outstanding tunability in physical state and intrinsic properties,these materials are driving profound transformations across rather wide fields such as physics,chemistry,biomedicine,electrical engineering,robotics,data center cooling and advanced energy etc.,giving rise to a wide range of cutting-edge interdisciplinary frontiers and strategic emerging industries.Consequently,research and development in the area has evolved from a previously niche topic into a remarkable surge of scientific and technological focus.To better advance the revolution of this cutting edge frontier,it is crucial to identify and interpret the developmental natures of the liquid metal science,technology and industry,prospect their future trends and propose solid ways to speed up the innovation activities. In this article,we begin by interpreting the material demands driven by representative technological advances in modern and contemporary human history,thereby introducing the development landscape of room-temperature liquid metals in the 21st century and the sequential emergence of the science and technology tree they lighted up and the evolutionary trends.Then,we review the history of liquid metal research and applications,dividing it into several stages:High-melting-point metals such as gold,silver,and copper that bridge classical and modern times;Traditional toxic and highly reactive liquid metals like mercury and sodium-potassium alloys;and Currently prominent highly safe room-temperature liquid metals,including gallium and bismuth-based alloys.On this basis,we highlight the foundational discoveries and typical technological breakthroughs of room-temperature liquid metals,which have been hailed as"The Second Revolution in Human Utilization of Metals".Based on a discussion of the liquid metal genome and combinatorial materials,we elucidate the exceptional enabling characteristics of liquid metals for various materials,as well as their functional scalability and vast development potential.Using liquid metal chip cooling,printed electronics and semiconductors,biomaterials science,and transformable robotics as illustrative examples,we outline the transdisciplinary and pan-disciplinary cross-fertilizing nature of liquid metals and their advancement styles.We interpret the typical paradigms over the fundamental researches and engineering practices.And through deep integration with established subjects and industries,we distill a corresponding cluster of cross-disciplines enabled from liquid metals.Furthermore,we also explore AI pathways for accelerating innovation and empowering talent cultivation in unconventional areas.Through an overview of the development trajectory of liquid metal science,we outline both accidental and inevitable breakthrough features during their evolution,as well as the characteristics of disruptive versus incremental innovations in the area. The emergence of room-temperature liquid metals is characterized by a pronounced transdisciplinary nature and extensive interdisciplinary integration,which has largely reshaped conventional understandings of traditional materials,fluid machines,and rigid matter.The technology tree illuminated by liquid metals has exhibited vigorous vitality,opening up vast development spaces for materials science and engineering,while also providing fertile ground for cultivating innovative talent in interdisciplinary fields.The liquid metals profoundly trigger fundamental and practical research paradigm shifts and game changing industries,offering abundant innovation opportunities across many frontier scientific and technological fields.Proactively exploring and harnessing the boundless possibilities embedded in liquid metals will accelerate the formation of more interdisciplinary fields,key technologies,and industrial clusters. Overall,liquid metal science and technology bridges both microscopic fundamental sciences and macroscopic industrial applications,exhibiting a breadth of scope that is rarely seen among most of today's fields.This article deepens the understanding of the general liquid metal sciences,engineering and interdisciplinary subjects and offers guiding insights for the evaluation,forecasting and incubation of emerging directions,and is expected to foster more bottom-up innovations and promote the establishment of ever diverse cross-disciplines.关键词
液态金属/物质科学/交叉学科/超学科/研究范式/工程学Key words
liquid metals/material science/interdisciplinary research/transdisciplinarity/research paradigm/engineering分类
社会科学引用本文复制引用
刘静..液态金属研究的超学科性、泛学科交叉性及其工程学启示[J].工程研究——跨学科视野中的工程,2026,18(4):438-451,14.基金项目
国家自然科学基金项目(91748206) （91748206）
