Liquid Metals for Reconfigurable Bioelectronics

S Subin Oh (School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea) S Simok Lee (School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea) S Sung Woo Kim Y Yejin Ahn (School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea) D Dongho Min (School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea) S Semin Kim J Jae‐Woong Jeong (School of Electrical Engineering Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences KAIST Institute for Human Augmentation Convergence Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Future bioelectronic technologies must evolve beyond passive softness toward active reconfigurability, enabling intelligent interfaces that adapt to dynamic physiological and environmental changes. However, the inherently static architectures of most current devices hinder such adaptive reconfiguration or performance tuning, leading to a functional mismatch between dynamic biological systems and static electronic architectures. To bridge this gap, reconfigurable bioelectronics have emerged as a transformative paradigm capable of dynamically modulating their physical form and function in response to external or physiological stimuli. Liquid metals (LMs)—combining deformability, tunable stiffness, high electrical/thermal conductivity, multi‐stimuli responsiveness, and biocompatibility—offer a unique material platform for realizing intrinsic reconfigurability without structural complexity. By leveraging their material‐level reconfigurability, LM‐based bioelectronics achieve robust performance, versatile functionality, and dynamic biointegration, enabling multifunctional diagnostic, therapeutic, and interactive systems. This review provides a comprehensive overview of LM‐based reconfigurable bioelectronics, encompassing fundamental material properties, fabrication and design strategies, and major reconfiguration mechanisms. It further highlights emerging biomedical applications, ranging from implantable and wearable systems to soft robotics and haptic interfaces, and discusses key challenges and future directions for advancing LM‐based bioelectronics toward clinically viable, intelligent, and multifunctional platforms.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 38, Issue 38
Published July 01, 2026
ISSN 0935-9648
Publisher Unknown Publisher

Journal Info

Advanced Materials

Unknown Publisher

ISSN: 0935-9648 Physical Sciences

Authors (7)

S

Subin Oh

School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea

S

Simok Lee

School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea

S

Sung Woo Kim

Y

Yejin Ahn

School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea

D

Dongho Min

School of Electrical Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea

S

Semin Kim

J

Jae‐Woong Jeong

School of Electrical Engineering Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences KAIST Institute for Human Augmentation Convergence Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology Daejeon Republic of Korea