Post-transition elements, together with zinc-group metals and their alloys belong to an emerging class of materials with fascinating characteristics originating from their simultaneous metallic and liquid natures. These metals and alloys are characterised by having low melting points (i.e. between room temperature and 300 °C), making their liquid state accessible to practical applications in various fields of physical chemistry and synthesis. These materials can offer extraordinary capabilities in the synthesis of new materials, catalysis and can also enable novel applications including microfluidics, flexible electronics and drug delivery. However, surprisingly liquid metals have been somewhat neglected by the wider research community. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals underlying liquid metal research, including liquid metal synthesis, surface functionalisation and liquid metal enabled chemistry. Furthermore, we discuss phenomena that warrant further investigations in relevant fields and outline how liquid metals can contribute to exciting future applications.

中文翻译：

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液态金属：化学的基础和应用

过渡后元素与锌族金属及其合金一起属于新兴的一类材料，其引人入胜的特性源于其同时具有金属和液态特性。这些金属和合金的特征在于熔点低（即室温至300°C之间），使其液态可用于物理化学和合成各个领域的实际应用。这些材料可以在合成新材料，催化方面提供非凡的功能，还可以实现包括微流控，柔性电子学和药物输送在内的新颖应用。然而，令人惊讶的是，液态金属已被更广泛的研究团体所忽略。在这篇综述中，我们提供了液态金属研究基础的全面概述，包括液态金属合成，表面功能化和液态金属促成化学。此外，我们讨论了值得在相关领域进行进一步研究的现象，并概述了液态金属如何为激动人心的未来应用做出贡献。