What can replace mercury?

However, scientists have developed a range of mercury-free battery alternatives, including lithium, silver and alkaline batteries, which can perform just as well as their mercury-containing counterparts, although they may come with their own, separate environmental challenges.

Does galinstan bead up like mercury?

Galinstan is mainly a mix of the elements Gallium, Indium, and Tin. The mixture has the ability to be a liquid at room temperature just like mercury. Now some thermometers have Galinstan because it is non-toxic to people but still expands and shrinks like mercury when it gets hot or cold.

Is Field’s metal toxic?

Named after its inventor, Simon Quellen Field, Field’s metal is Eutectic at 144 F, 62 C. Field’s metal is expensive due to the price of indium, which makes up over half its mass. However, as it contains neither lead nor cadmium, it is a less toxic alternative to Wood’s metal.

How accurate are galinstan thermometers?

Sensitivity and specificity of DT were 67.5% and 98.0%, respectively. When considering children with a temperature of 39°C or higher, the false-negative rate was 65.4% with DT and 30.8% with GT. Galinstan thermometer is more accurate in the measurement of body temperature compared with DT or MT.

Is galinstan corrosive?

Abstract. Liquid metal Galinstan (GaInSn) is corrosive in nature against other solid metals as its base component is gallium.

Can gallium melt steel?

Gallium is an interesting metal because it melts at body temperature, looking a lot like mercury when it’s a liquid, but safe to touch. This is a soft metal, and will melt easily, and as such,it will readily mark surfaces if it rubbed across.

What is galinstan used for?

Uses. The non-toxic galinstan replaces mercury in thermometers; the tube interior must be coated with gallium oxide to prevent it from wetting the glass. Galinstan has higher reflectivity and lower density than mercury. In astronomy, it can replace mercury in liquid-mirror telescopes.

Is galinstan magnetic?

The magnetic diffusivity calculated by the experiment agrees with the exact value, and magnetic permeability of Galinstan is determined as 0.80 × 10-6 H/m for σ = 3.46 × 106 S/m.

Does gallium react with copper?

“Gallium in general also reacts with copper and leaves it pitted on the very top layer, but the reaction is not heavy so doesn’t really matter to Thermal Grizzly. Reducing the gallium quantity means a higher percentage of indium, which reduces the melting point.

What metals does gallium weaken?

Gallium attacks many metals including Aluminum & Steel by diffusing into the grain boundaries making them extremely brittle.