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Zhang et al. Soft Sci 2024;4:23 https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2023.58 Page 17 of 21

movements within the body and be prevented from fatigue failure.

Drawbacks
Side effect or potential toxicity is the major concern. Previous tests were conducted in rats and
demonstrated minimal side effects . However, the long-term outcome on humans remains unclear.
[74]
Biodegradability remains another unsolved issue, potentially hindering their clinical applications. LMs had
[10]
ever been compared with a biodegradable nerve conduit for nerve regeneration . Although the
experiments succeeded in aspirating the LM using a microinjector with X-rays, this acknowledged the need
for a secondary procedure to remove the LM after nerve regrowth. However, such inconvenience may be
neglected if LMs display excellent performance in other aspects, such as preventing the atrophy of target
organ muscle.

In summary, the versatile properties of LMs, including their biocompatibility, electrical conductivity, and
flexibility, make them promising materials for use in NEIs and nerve repair. Future research should focus
on exploring these behaviors and developing methods to harness the potential of LMs in these applications.

CONCLUSION
The potential of Ga-based LMs (that possess fluidity, high conductivity, and biocompatibility) for
applications in neural interfaces is enormous. Regarding the neuro-electrodes, a flexible LM-based neuro-
electrode is expected to be available in the near future, a system that can be implanted in a living body for a
long period of time, wirelessly transmitting neural information and stably acquiring neural signals.
Regarding nerve conduits, the true realization of artificial LM neural interfaces for repairing, replacing, and
enhancing biological nervous systems is a core target. Tremendous fundamental and practical opportunities
are emerging in this direction. Given the increasing investment in research and development, the growing
maturity of the technology, and the continuous verification of products, it is expected that the future will
usher in more innovative practices of LMs in neuroscience.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Proposed original conceptualization: Liu J, Li L
Investigated the related work: Zhang X
Prepared the figures and wrote the article: Zhang X, Liu C, Gao J, Tang R, Feng W, Wu B, Deng Z
Revised and corrected article: Zhang X, Liu C
Supervised the manuscript: Liu J, Li L

Availability of data and materials
Not applicable.

Financial support and sponsorship
This study was supported by the Foundation of Director of Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry,
Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Conflicts of interest
All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval and consent to participate
Not applicable.

Consent for publication
Not applicable.