Thermal interface materials are used as part of comprehensive thermal management strategies in modern electronic devices, ranging from personal computers to automotive and server applications. One crucial material is the thermal interface material that goes in between the die and heat spreader, called the TIM1 material. Key desirable properties of TIM1 materials include: easy application, low thermal resistance, high electrical resistivity, and robustness to thermal cycling and bake. Aiming to achieve these properties, popular choices of TIM1 include gap fillers (rubbery thermal pads), thermal greases (fluidlike polymer TIMs with suspended metal-oxide particles such as aluminum and zinc oxides), solid TIMs (such as sintered silver and indium), and liquid metals (such as Gallium Indium Tin alloys). However, as power densities in semiconductor packages have increased dramatically in recent years, thermal engineers are finding it difficult to find TIMs that have suitably low thermal resistance and can survive the attendant extreme thermal cycling profiles. Recently, researchers have proposed using liquid metal embedded elastomers (LMEEs) as thermal interface materials, leading to Arieca Inc. developing a TIM1 LMEE suitable for the most demanding of applications. In this presentation, we explore the application of LMEEs as a TIM1, subjecting LMEEs to a test suite spanning a wide range of material properties, ranging from complex viscosity to DSC, TGA, and even measuring thermal resistance before and after applying strains of 380% to an interface bonded together using only LMEE. We find that by adjusting the polymer composition, cure temperatures can be tuned, without significantly affecting thermal reliability. Additionally, we observe thermal resistance approaching 2 mm2K/W in an ASTM D5470 test setup, and highlight how this range of properties can be used to directly bond two surfaces together without a lid sealant and maintain good thermal contact. Finally, we conclude with some remarks to highlight the expanding opportunities on the technological frontier opened up by this class of advanced packaging materials.