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Updated: Dec 24, 2025
3D Printing of Preclinical X-ray Computed Tomographic Data Sets
Published on: March 22, 2013
4D-Printed Dynamic Materials in Biomedical Applications: Chemistry, Challenges, and Their Future Perspectives in the
Wenxian Zhou1, Zhiguang Qiao2,3, Ehsan Nazarzadeh Zare4
1Department of Orthopaedics, Bioprinting Research Group, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China.
Abstract:
Most of the biomedical materials printed using 3D bioprinting are static and are unable to alter/transform with dynamic changes in the internal environment of the body. The emergence of four-dimensional (4D) printing addresses this problem. By preprogramming dynamic polymer materials and their nanocomposites, 4D printing is able to produce the desired shapes or transform functions under specific conditions or stimuli to better adapt to the surrounding environment. In this review, the current and potential applications of 4D-printed materials are introduced in different aspects of the biomedical field, e.g., tissue engineering, drug delivery, and sensors. In addition, the existing limitations and possible solutions are discussed. Finally, the current limitations of 4D-printed materials along with their future perspective are presented to provide a basis for future research.
