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We reported a phenomenon that the magnetic field can make up a boundary to restrict motion of the aluminum powered liquid metal motor. For the droplet motors with diameter below 1 mm, such magnetic trap effect will be strong enough to bounce them off the boundary. We attributed the effect to the electromagnetic mechanism. Owing to the Lorentz force, the high magnetic field will break up the directional running of the motor. The more aluminum added in the metal droplet, the stronger the trap effect. This phenomenon suggests an important way to control behavior of the liquid metal motors.

The Marangoni flow of room temperature liquid metal has recently attracted significant attention in developing advanced flexible drivers. However, most of its induction methods are limited to an external electric field. This study disclosed a new Marangoni flow phenomenon of liquid gallium induced by the gallium-copper galvanic corrosion couple. To better understand this effect, the flow field distribution of liquid gallium was modeled and quantitatively calculated. Then, the intrinsic mechanism of this flow phenomenon was interpreted, during which natural convection and temperature gradient were both excluded and the galvanic corrosion couple was identified as the main reason. In addition, this conclusion was further confirmed by combining the experimental measurement of liquid gallium surface potential and the thermocapillary effect. Moreover, the temperature condition was found to be an indirect factor to the Marangoni flow. This finding broadens the classical understanding of liquid metal surface flow, which also suggests a new way for the application of soft machines.

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