Mercury switches, used in millions of appliances and vehicles, may become environmentally hazardous when the switches are discarded or damaged. Develop a material that flows and conducts electricity to replace mercury. Mercury is used in switches in thousands of modern conveniences - from computer screens to thermostats and street lights. But in the environment, mercury is changed into toxic compounds. California, Florida, and Minnesota have banned new products with mercury.
New Jersey prohibits disposal of products containing mercury.
When Virginia businessman Carlos V. Perry Jr. began losing business because his products contained mercury switches, he contacted Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. The CIT contacted researchers at Virginia Tech. Chemistry faculty members James Rancourt and Larry Taylor , working with Perry, developed liquid metal alloys and electrical switches to replace the mercury switch. Several prototypes for different applications of one new liquid metal alloy switch have been tested for thousands of hours against mercury switch counterparts. The non-mercury switch proved reliable and superior.