Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Soft microrobots, compared with their rigid counterparts, offer superior adaptability in dynamic and confined biological environments. Here, magnetically-guided liquid metal microrobots composed of gallium-indium alloys embedded with Fe nanoparticles are introduced. The unique combination of magnetic maneuverability, high surface tension, intrinsic radiopacity, and deformability allows liquid metal-based microbots to overcome limitations of both hard microrobots and fragile droplet-based systems. Under magnetic actuation, liquid metal-based magnetic microrobots exhibit controllable rolling and upstream locomotion resembling neutrophil-like navigation, enabling precise maneuvering even against physiological flow. Bridging in vitro with in vivo experiments, quail egg chorioallantoic membrane models are used to demonstrate guided transport of these microrobots through blood vessels, accumulation at tumor xenografts, and migration within subcutaneous tissues. Moreover, their strong X-ray visibility enables real-time fluoroscopic tracking, validated in porcine heart vasculature. Importantly, liquid metal-based magnetic microbots can cross endothelial barriers in a vascular flow-on-a-chip platform, while maintaining endothelial biocompatibility. By integrating deformability, magnetic steerability, and imaging visibility, liquid metal-based microrobots establish a powerful platform for minimally invasive transvascular navigation. This work highlights the potential of liquid metal-based magnetic microrobots for targeted drug delivery, image-guided therapy, and intelligent biomedical interventions.
Source: Advanced Materials
Authors: Xiaohui Ju, Roshan Velluvakandy, Xianghua Wu, Miguel Angel Merlos Rodrigo, Zbyněk Heger, Kamila Bendíčková, Jan Frič, Martin Pumera
Institutions: Central European Institute of Technology, Brno University of Technology, Wuhan University of Technology, State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology For Materials Synthesis and Processing, Mendel University in Brno, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, Masaryk University, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, China Medical University, Yonsei University, China Medical University Hospital
Language: English
Topic: Micro and Nano Robotics
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $6,070
Funders: European Commission, Ministerstvo Školství, Mládeže a Tělovýchovy, Grantová Agentura České Republiky, Ministerstvo Zdravotnictví Ceské Republiky, China Scholarship Council, Central European Institute of Technology, Mendelova Univerzita v Brně, Agentura Pro Zdravotnický Výzkum České Republiky, European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund
Awards: G1153767801, G1454965787, G1492781007, G2207473264, G2677629327, G2678520069, Research infrastructure CzechNanoLab, G2778226874, G291036901, G3076994783, G3735356012, G3810236772, G4396925471, G5162580495, G5770367750, G6174040907, G6253592498, G6890123385, G7615078301, Smart micro- and nanorobots for water purification, G7992255799, G8140083606, G8445306339
OpenAlex ID: W4417535328