Patents
US 12612507 B1: Programmable liquid metal microstructures for multifunctional soft thermal composites and methods for making same
- Granted
- 2026-04-28
- Filed
- 2022-04-27 application 17660972
- Type
- Utility · 18 claims
- Elsewhere
- Google Patents ↗ · USPTO patent document ↗ · USPTO Patent Center record ↗
Abstract
Soft, elastically deformable composites of multifunctional materials for electronics, robotics, and reconfigurable structures. Liquid metal (LM) droplets dispersed in elastomer matrices has unique combinations of soft mechanical response with exceptional electrical and thermal functionalities. These properties are strongly dependent on the material composition and microstructure. Control of LM microdroplet morphology to program mechanical and functional properties is by annealed-deformation shaping LM droplets in soft composites to create programmable microstructures in stress-free materials. Thermo-mechanical shaping is one example of annealed-deformation shaping. This enables LM loadings up to 70% by volume with prescribed particle aspect ratios and orientation, enabling control of microstructure throughout the bulk of the material. Through this microstructural control in soft composites, a material which simultaneously achieves a thermal conductivity as high as 13.0 W m−1 K−1 (>70× increase over polymer matrix) with low modulus (<1.0 MPa) and high stretchability (>750% strain) is demonstrated in stress-free conditions.
Source: PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 (ipgb20260428.xml).
Assignees
| Assignee | Type | Place | Also on furp.org | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. 581 patents | US company or organization | Ames, IA | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
Inventors
| Inventor | Place | Patents | Person page | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael D. Bartlett | Blacksburg, VA | 22 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
CPC categories
| Subclass | Category | First group | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| C08K | Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients | C08K3/08 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
| C08J | Working-up; general processes of compounding; after-treatment not covered by subclasses c08b, c08c, c08f, c08g or c08h | C08J3/203 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
| H01B | Cables; conductors; insulators; selection of materials for their conductive, insulating or dielectric properties | H01B1/22 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
| H05K | Printed circuits; casings or constructional details of electric apparatus; manufacture of assemblages of electrical components | H05K1/0283 | PTBLXML, file of 2026-04-28 |
Cooperative Patent Classification, as currently assigned (one row per subclass).
Assignments and security interests
| Recorded | What | From | To | Reel/frame | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-27 | Assignment Assignment of assignor's interest | BARTLETT, MICHAEL D. signed 2021-06-21 | IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC. AMES, IA | 59743/777 | PASDL, file of 2026-10-15 |
Documents recorded with the USPTO Assignment Recordation Branch that list this patent. A security interest is a lender’s claim on the patent as collateral; a release ends it.
USPTO bulk data: PatentsView granted patents, disambiguated (PVGPATDIS) for patents, assignees, inventors, places and CPC categories; the USPTO Patent Assignment Dataset (ECORSEXC) for assignments and security interests. Patents filed in the last 20 years. No claims or full text. Links to other records are by name (and state): EXACT means the identical full name and state; FUZZY means a looser name match, with the confidence shown.