[roger5]

Hi

Is it possible to turn a solid to a liquid by applying an electric current through the solid? if so, what kind of material would be involved?

Roger

[Borek]

No problem - take metal rod and use current high enough to heat it above melting point.

[roger5]

I guess any material will melt if you apply enough current through it, but what I meant is, is there a chemical or physical mechanism by which this can happen, and not by "brute force" heating it up till it melts?

[enahs]

The heat does change it by a chemical and physical method.

It is not possible for any pure solid, as the liquid state is at lower energy then the solid state and you are by definition adding energy. It might be possible for some alloy or mixture of materials, but I am not personally aware of any (but I am by no means a expert on this subject).

There are things similar to what you want, but not exactly. In a typical battery a metal loses a electron and becomes a ion and goes into solution. In this case electricity is not used, but caused by the material going into solution (the ion is now in a liquid solution of some sorts).

[Mitch]

I don't think there is an organic material that does what you want it to do. But, I get what your after.

[Ψ×Ψ]

I don't think there is an organic material that does what you want it to do.

For a minute there I thought you were speaking to me!  It's true enough, especially for the blasted starting materials I have to fight with right now.

[roger5]

I came across a class of materials called "Electrorheological". Does anybody know anything about them?

[mdlhvn]

I guess any material will melt if you apply enough current through it, but what I meant is, is there a chemical or physical mechanism by which this can happen, and not by "brute force" heating it up till it melts?

   You are not right if you mean "melt", not any material. You only apply enough current through a conductor, it is a physiscal process. The current goes though a R-resistence conductor produce the heat Q=RI². This heat make the conductor increase to the melting point and then melt.