Formation of Covalent Ga-C Bonds on Liquid Metal Nanoparticles with Enhanced Stability and Anti-Oxidation

Abstract

Surface modification of Eutectic Gallium Indium (EGaIn) to inhibit oxidation has been a long-lasting challenge in material science, with limited research reporting the formation of a covalent bond between Ga and modifiers for stability purposes. Taking advantage of strong reductive property of EGaIn, this study developed a simple method for spontaneous reduction of aryldiazonium salts on EGaIn nanoparticle surface to form stable covalent Ga-C sigma bonds, effectively suppressing surface oxidation.Comprehensive characterization confirmed the formation of the covalent Ga-C bond rather than Ga-N=N-C bonds on the EGaIn nanoparticle surface. Approximately 20% of Ga(0) in EGaIn forms Ga-C bonds. Notably, the short chain aryl modified EGaIn nanoparticles exhibited high stability and negligible surface oxidation. This straightforward strategy for preparing stable aryl modified EGaIn nanoparticles allows the introduction of a range of ligands on the EGaIn nanoparticle surfaces, offering promising opportunities for diverse applications across multiple fields.

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Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Aug 2025
Accepted
27 Sep 2025
First published
29 Sep 2025

Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript

Formation of Covalent Ga-C Bonds on Liquid Metal Nanoparticles with Enhanced Stability and Anti-Oxidation

C. Zhou, Z. Zhang, Y. Gao, W. Diao, S. Zou, J. Zhu, J. Xu and G. Liu, Nanoscale, 2025, Accepted Manuscript , DOI: 10.1039/D5NR03476K

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