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Engineering (Bio)Materials through Shrinkage and Expansion.
Mian Wang1, Wanlu Li1, Guosheng Tang1
1Division of Engineering in Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|June 17, 2021
Summary
Engineered biomaterials that change size and shape offer new possibilities for biomedical applications. These responsive materials, combined with advanced fabrication, promise more functional and intricate designs.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Current biofabrication technologies face limitations in achieving precisely designable functions in engineered constructs.
- Size- and shape-shifting (bio)materials offer unique properties for enhanced engineering capacities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate advances in size-/shape-shifting (bio)materials responsive to various stimuli.
- To exemplify biomedical applications of these dynamic materials.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent progress in stimuli-responsive (bio)materials.
- Analysis of current and potential biomedical applications.
- Exploration of integration with 3D/4D fabrication technologies.
Main Results:
- Size-/shape-shifting (bio)materials demonstrate significant potential to overcome limitations in current engineered constructs.
- Diverse stimuli-responsive mechanisms enable tailored material behavior.
- Representative biomedical applications highlight the versatility of these materials.
Conclusions:
- Stimuli-responsive (bio)materials are crucial for advancing functional engineered constructs.
- Integration with 3D/4D printing technologies opens new avenues for complex functional architectures.
- Future research in this area promises significant breakthroughs in biomedicine.
