Reconfigurable Catalytic Interfaces Enabled by Liquid Metal Dynamics.

Abstract

Metals in liquid state are emerging as adaptive catalytic platforms in which catalytic function is governed not by static surface sites but by continuously reconfiguring interfaces. Unlike conventional solid catalysts, low-melting metallic systems, such as gallium and its alloys, combine fluidity, metallic conductivity, solute metal dissolution, and atomic mobility, enabling active sites to appear, transform, and regenerate under reaction conditions. In this mini-review, we discuss how these dynamic interfacial processes underpin catalysis primarily in gallium-based liquid metal systems. Particular emphasis is placed on the interplay among solvent-solute interactions, atomic dispersion, and reaction-induced restructuring at phase boundaries. We classify liquid metal catalysts across binary, multicomponent, high-entropy, and emerging hybrid structures, highlighting how composition, interfacial state, and external stimuli serve as key design parameters for catalysis. We further discuss future opportunities and challenges in characterization, mechanistic interpretation, and scalability, outlining the critical barriers to the practical deployment of these liquid catalysts.