Liquid Metal-Enabled Synergetic Cooling and Charging of Superhigh Current

Chuanke Liu; Maolin Li; Daiwei Hu; Yi Zheng; Lingxiao Cao; Zhizhu He

doi:10.1016/j.eng.2024.11.035

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Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (4) : 117-129. DOI: 10.1016/j.eng.2024.11.035

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Liquid Metal-Enabled Synergetic Cooling and Charging of Superhigh Current

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Abstract

High-power direct current fast charging (DC-HPC), particularly for megawatt-level charging currents (≥ 1000 A), is expected to significantly reduce charging time and improve electric vehicle durability, despite the risk of instantaneous thermal shocks. Conventional cooling methods, which separately transmit current and heat, struggle to achieve both flexible maneuverability and high-efficiency cooling. In this study, we present a synergetic cooling and transmission strategy using a gallium-based liquid metal flexible charging connector (LMFCC), which efficiently dissipates ultra-high heat flux while simultaneously carrying superhigh current. The LMFCC exhibits exceptional flexible operability (bending radius of 2 cm) and transmission stability even under significant deformation owing to the excellent liquidity and conductivity of liquid metal (LM). These properties are markedly better than those of solid metal connector. A compact induction electromagnet-driven method is optimized to significantly increase the LM flow rate and the active cooling capacity, resulting in sudden low temperature (< 16 °C at 1000 A). This synergetic cooling and charging strategy are expected to enable ultrahigh-heat-flux thermal management and accelerate development of the electric vehicle industry.

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Electric vehicle / Superhigh current charging / Liquid metal / Synergetic-cooling strategy / Flexible charging cable

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Chuanke Liu, Maolin Li, Daiwei Hu, Yi Zheng, Lingxiao Cao, Zhizhu He. Liquid Metal-Enabled Synergetic Cooling and Charging of Superhigh Current. Engineering, 2025, 47(4): 117‒129 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2024.11.035

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