The invention provides a hydrogel network comprising a plurality of hydrogel objects, wherein each of said hydrogel objects comprises: a hydrogel body, and an outer layer of amphipathic molecules, on at least part of the surface of the hydrogel body, wherein each of said hydrogel objects contacts another of said hydrogel objects to form an interface between the contacting hydrogel objects. A process for producing the hydrogel networks is also provided. The invention also provides an electrochemical circuit and a hydrogel component for mechanical devices comprising a hydrogel network. Various uses of the hydrogel network are also described, including their use in synthetic biology and as components in electrochemical circuits and mechanical devices.

There is provided a fiber that includes a fiber material disposed along a longitudinal-axis fiber length. A porous domain has a porous domain length along at least a portion of the fiber length, within the fiber material. The porous domain includes solid-phase material regions and fluid-phase interstitial regions that are both along the porous domain length and across the porous domain, for multi-dimensional porosity of the porous domain.

Soft-matter technologies are essential for emerging applications in wearable computing, human-machine interaction, and soft robotics. However, as these technologies gain adoption in society and interact with unstructured environments, material and structure damage becomes inevitable. A robotic material that mimics soft tissues found in biological systems may be used to identify, compute, and respond to damage. This material includes liquid metal droplets dispersed in soft elastomers that rupture when damaged to create electrically conductive pathways that are identified with a soft active-matrix grid. These technologies may be used to autonomously identify damage, calculate severity, and respond to prevent failure within robotic systems.

In a method making a flexible electrical conductor, a mask layer (216) is applied to a substrate (210). A portion of the mask layer (216) is removed to expose the substrate (210) in an exposed shape (220) corresponding to the conductor. A liquid phase conductor (232) is applied to the portion of the substrate (210). The mask layer (216) is dissolved with a solvent (238) to leave a shaped liquid phase conductor (234) corresponding to the exposed shape on the substrate (210). A primary elastomer layer (240) is applied onto the substrate (210) and the shaped liquid phase conductor (234). The primary elastomer layer (240) and the shaped liquid phase conductor (234) are removed from the substrate (210). A secondary elastomer layer (242) is applied to the shaped liquid phase conductor (234) and the primary elastomer layer (240) to seal the shaped liquid phase conductor (234) therein.

A deformable yet mechanically resilient microcapsule having electrical properties, a method of making the microcapsules, and a circuit component including the microcapsules. The microcapsule containing a gallium liquid metal alloy core having from about 60 to about 100 wt. % gallium and at least one alloying metal, and a polymeric shell encapsulating the liquid core, said polymeric shell having conductive properties.

Systems, structures, and methods include a structure formed from a plurality of layers of matrix material. A bus is secured between adjacent layers of the plurality of layers of the matrix material. The bus includes a conductive gel configured to propagate an electrical signal through the structure.

An information processing apparatus includes a converting portion having a plurality of electrical conductors to be arranged in mutual separation and a medium arranged so as to mutually connect the plurality of electrical conductors, wherein the converting portion is the information processing apparatus to convert an input signal to an output signal. The medium includes the electrolyte and is configured to be capable of controlling an electrical conductivity of an electrically conductive path mutually electrically connecting the plurality of electrical conductors, and the medium is selected such that the electrical conductivity of the electrically conductive path changes over time with the input signal not being present.

A reconfigurable electronic component comprising a channel having first and second ends and outer walls defining a lumen; a liquid phosphonic acid within the lumen; and a liquid metal within the lumen. A first electrical contact at the first end of the channel and a second electrical contact in communication with the lumen at the second end of the channel. A predetermined amount of a solvent and a liquid metal may be within the lumen, and the solvent may comprise ethanol. The liquid metal may be selected from the group consisting of eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) and eutectic gallium-indium-tin alloys. The phosphonic acid may be selected from the group consisting of decylphosphonic acid (DPA), fluorobenzylphosphonic acid (FPA), and difluorobenzylphosphonic acid (DFPA). The first and second electrical contacts comprise copper. An overflow channel and a reservoir for the liquid metal and phosphonic acid may be in fluid communication with the lumen.

In some implementations, an electrical cable for use in a wellbore proximate to a subsurface formation may comprise a conductive element, where the conductive element comprises one or more electrically conductive fibers. The electrical cable may additionally comprise a conductive binder configured to melt to form a liquid conductor that is configured to, when in a liquid state, surround the conductive element.

Disclosed herein are liquid conductive wires and methods for making and using the same. Liquid conductive wires can be used in flexible, reconfigurable, dynamic and transparent electronic devices. Liquid conductive wires can be used in a variety of systems including, but not limited to, soft robotics.