Liquid metal micro/nano particles (LMPs) from gallium and its alloys have attracted tremendous attention in the last decade due to the unique combination of their metallic and fluidic properties at relatively low temperatures. Unfortunately, there is limited success so far in realizing the highly controllable fabrication and functionalization of this emerging material, posing great obstacles to further promoting its fundamental and applied studies. This review aims to explore solutions for the on-demand design and manipulation of LMPs through physicochemically engineering their surface microenvironment, including compositions, structures, and properties, which are featured by the encapsulation of LMPs inside a variety of synthetic shell architectures. These heterophase, core–shell liquid metal composites display adjustable size and structure–property relationships, rendering improved performances in several attractive scenarios including but not limited to soft electronics, nano/biomedicine, catalysis, and energy storage/conversion. Challenges and opportunities regarding this burgeoning field are also disclosed at the end of this review.

中文翻译：

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核壳液态金属颗粒的合成与应用：表面工程的视角

来自镓及其合金的液态金属微/纳米颗粒 (LMP) 在过去十年中因其在相对较低温度下的金属和流体特性的独特组合而引起了极大的关注。不幸的是，到目前为止，在实现这种新兴材料的高度可控制造和功能化方面取得的成功有限，这对其进一步推进其基础研究和应用研究构成了巨大障碍。本综述旨在通过物理化学工程设计 LMP 的表面微环境（包括成分、结构和特性）来探索按需设计和操作 LMP 的解决方案，这些微环境的特点是将 LMP 封装在各种合成壳结构中。这些异相，核壳液态金属复合材料显示出可调节的尺寸和结构-性能关系，在包括但不限于软电子、纳米/生物医学、催化和能量存储/转换等几个有吸引力的场景中表现出更好的性能。本次审查结束时还披露了有关这一新兴领域的挑战和机遇。