Expanded Version: Brew Your Own Conductive Ink

Step by step instructions to brew your own liquid metal ink, with all the mistakes, side tracks and extras that you would ever need.
Learn more: spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/ha...

[@cedricproper5256]

Anyone who can draw a circuit with a pen and some components deserves a like. This is pretty good.

[@innovator1998]

The last minute in that great video reminded me of my first attempt at playing scottish bagpipes lol what a distinct sound !! ... I'd like to purchase a ready to use one though ( **good business idea **)

[@theyforcedme8370]

Jetstream pens FTW! :D Relatively cheap, non-smeary ink, smooth writing. They got my back in all exams the past two years.

[@stamatovski]

you can remove the metal part with pliers and have basically a straw to clean and refill

[@TheIndustrialphreak]

Have you tried this in a inkjet or a plotter yet? I am a little concerned about the price point and toxicity of the indium and gallium rare earth metals. I wonder if this could be done with a simple graphite or cheaper conductive elements.

[@chrisbalfour466]

Try spar varnish with any conductive powder (carbon, graphite or metal powders). Instead of ink, for a phenomenally good conductive glue, mix a PVA based wood glue with powdered silver solder (any lead-free non rosin core solder sanded or filed into dust). The pva wood glue and solder powder bonds conductively to aluminum, copper, steel or bare silicon :) Either of these might also make custom resettable fuses, thin semi-transparent conductive coatings on glass for DIY liquid crystal displays (with a very fine powder), or additive circuit board creation (instead of the conventional subtractive/etched copper on fiberglass).

[@jamesobryandvm3018]

The easiest way I've found to get ink out of the pen is to wash and dry it in my clothing pockets. :-)

[@AZURA888]

Those Gallium and Indium are two expensive metal just like the silver ink but something is sure, there are not more options in the periodic table.

[@astroglide420]

Great work.

[@seanwhite46sw]

Its pretty cool but does the ink not remain liquid? I presume you can still easily smear the lines

[@hellboy8677able]

ya i was also wondering the same thing :/

[@MikMech]

You could possibly spray a sealer over it?

[@bullygram]

This is brilliant, why can't we use a gel pen or an correction pen, which is big but the mechanism are same

[@jonathanashkenaze7312]

Great Video. Really deserves a lot more views and comments! I like the idea and great execution but I would ask - how do you "dry" the ink when you are done? Possibly covering with a polyurethane might be an option.

[@jerowns]

I suppose it dries by air, just like glue the moment it hits air it starts to harden... not totally sure though

[@jellyfishjelly1941]

no way to dry it, it's 100% metal. Alltrought you can make it solid by cooling it.

[@findthatall]

Does it also adhere and work on paper or wood?

[@fatatug]

I try to make this ink a lot of kinds of glue but I see that it can not make electricially conductive. I've used silver and activated carbon. So please tell me how can you achive this conductivitiy via glue?

[@pgrwal1436]

will it remain on place when IC gets hot??

[@neerajkakar8104]

Good Quality ink. The same can be make with cheap materials like Graphite and black paint!

[@EclecticLensYT]

I'm curious, why is this better than making conductive ink from say either Graphite or Carbon? They are much easier to come by and doesn't require as much work. Still could make a fun project and I totally endorse experimentation. I'm really just curious how much better if any this method is?

[@FrankLopezx]

+Lucas Edwards what you mention contains particles that are conductive while this METALS are well .....metals

[@dtiydr]

I liked when he put water in the cup to try to solve the metal in the water. :D

[@RolandoValdes55]

Water was used as an oxidation barrier while the alloy was made, clearly stated at 1:38 in the materials section. BTW you can "solve" an equation, but you need to "dissolve" the metals to make the alloy.

[@dtiydr]

You obviously don't know what I´m talking about, its at 3:04. And I know very well how its spelled just miss 3 letters I see now but it took 2 whole years before someone had a mark about it, have to be a record here.

[@RolandoValdes55]

You obviously don't know what "you" are talking about, its at 3:04 that "mixing" is happening, no mention of dissolving metal with water, and of course no mention of "solving the metal"... and better late than never!

[@dtiydr]

Rolando Valdes Now its now proven you dont know what Im talking about. I dont talk about any mixing but about that he put water in the beaker like he was trying so flush the metal with the water. Gees how dam hard could it be!

[@brianwoods6192]

Amazing

[@doubleHLabs]

can you solder to this?

[@user-bw9bx3rd6z]

But my question is , gallium distroys other metals . What happens to pen then?

[@user-bw9bx3rd6z]

And also the components leads. is it really a successful circuit ?????

[@juliocavalera9293]

hello thanks for video , i have graphite powder , i want to ask about the match liquid for mix the graphite, what the liquid is?

[@muhammadosama3358]

Either polyurethane (varnish) or cellulose acetate dissolved in acetone to form a gel like consistency.

[@hellboy8677able]

will it work on paper? will it dry if used on paper?

[@FrankLopezx]

+Jim Jose dry or wet its still conductive , its metal

[@AustenSolvie]

All you need now is a sheet like paper that can absorb the ink.

[@icfixx]

It would be nice if you included the price list and links to purchase the items. It might be possible to use ink pen instead of ball penn.

[@jre5590]

from observation and some googling i think its from galliumsource.com

[@John_Smith__]

Good idea but the prices for the metals are a doa problem. If it is prototyping we are talking about then prototyping boards or even Perfboard is quick, simple and inexpensive to use.

[@brianwoods6192]

I have an idea to dramatically improve paints superconductivity

[@evanpilot]

Do tell

[@Chris-qw2iz]

does the paint ever dry?

[@khellil2]

Smart question, unfortunately it doesn't at room temperature :(

[@rupert274]

It doesn't dry. It's not wet. It's molten metal. If any evaporated, you'd still be left with molten metal.

[@dtiydr]

Expensive like fuck.

[@markiobook8639]

clever. Look up photoetching.

[@jaimepagemolina8656]

Conductive ink for printers. Print your own circuit boards.

[@markiobook8639]

Some circuits but pc are photo etched using light to react with photosensitive chemicals using a optical reduction lense system. You can use old telephoto lense.

[@blzahz7633]

10:30 Push me and then just touch me..

[@pinklady7184]

Blz Ahz we meet again.

[@fouaddahdah732]

THAT is no good can break easy and make false contact i hate false contacts

[@mikehebblethwaite3693]

Buy a fountain pen:)

[@johnknoefler1467]

And now Russians have just invented a 3d pen that writes with conductive ink. No need for this mess.

[@oddjobbob8742]

Clever how you emptied the pen.