Thermal, viscoelastic and surface properties of oxidized field’s metal for additive microfabrication

Abstract

Field’s metal, a low-melting-point eutectic alloy composed of 51% In, 32.5 Bi% and 16.5% Sn by weight and with a melting temperature of 333 K, is widely used as liquid metal coolant in advanced nuclear reactors and in electro–magneto–hydrodynamic two-phase flow loops. However, its rheological and wetting properties in liquid state make this metal suitable for the formation of droplets and other structures for application in microfabrication. As with other low-melting-point metal alloys, in the presence of air, Field’s metal has an oxide film on its surface, which provides a degree of malleability and stability. In this paper, the viscoelastic properties of Field’s metal oxide skin were studied in a parallel-plate rheometer, while surface tension and solidification and contact angles were determined using drop shape analysis techniques.