On Sat, 6 Oct 2012 12:24:19 -0700 (PDT), whit3rd
wrote:

I couldn't find a German patent. What's a liquid semiconductor?

I'm looking at US patent 4696832; there are probably others, the patent
refers to prior use of these materials. It's a long-chain molecule with decorations,
so the 'formula' is complex (mainly lots of different chain lengths).

http://www.google.com/patents/US4696832

Semiconductors have few free charge carriers, but low electric fields cause
breakdown (really, charge injection at metal contacts). So, that's the kind of
behavior this liquid is engineered for. In thin sections (one micron) it's
just about like a conductor, but in long tracks (one millimeter) it insulates.
The nonlinearity of its conduction makes it suitable for sloshing onto
insulating surfaces.

Thanks. That makes sense. I was assuming it was some kind of
directional semiconductor, such as in a liquid diode.
http://ilyam.org/CR-ROM_IYPT_1999/16_Liquid_diode_Austria_I_61-73_IYPT_1999.pdf

Looks like the contact coating is still a liquid even at the molecular
plating thickness. My guess is that the liquid displaces a higher
resistance oxide layer with a more conductive "liquid" layer thereby
enhancing conductivity. Nice.

--
Jeff Liebermann
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