3D-Printed Polymeric Biomaterials for Health Applications

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, holds immense potential for rapid prototyping and customized production of functional health-related devices. With advancements in polymer chemistry and biomedical engineering, polymeric biomaterials have become integral to 3D-printed biomedical applications. However, there still exists a bottleneck in the compatibility of polymeric biomaterials with different 3D printing methods, as well as intrinsic challenges such as limited printing resolution and rates. Therefore, this review aims to introduce the current state-of-the-art in 3D-printed functional polymeric health-related devices. It begins with an overview of the landscape of 3D printing techniques, followed by an examination of commonly used polymeric biomaterials. Subsequently, examples of 3D-printed biomedical devices are provided and classified into categories such as biosensors, bioactuators, soft robotics, energy storage systems, self-powered devices, and data science in bioplotting. The emphasis is on exploring the current capabilities of 3D printing in manufacturing polymeric biomaterials into desired geometries that facilitate device functionality and studying the reasons for material choice. Finally, an outlook with challenges and possible improvements in the near future is presented, projecting the contribution of general 3D printing and polymeric biomaterials in the field of healthcare.