Chiesa Irene, Ceccarini Maria Rachele, Bittolo Bon Silvia, Codini Michela, Beccari Tommaso, Valentini Luca, De Maria Carmelo
Department of Ingegneria dell'Informazione and Research Center E. Piaggio, University of Pisa, Largo Lucio Lazzarino 1, 56122 Pisa, Italy.
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Perugia, 06123 Perugia, Italy.
Materials (Basel). 2023 Oct 12;16(20):6661. doi: 10.3390/ma16206661.
Four-dimensional (4D) printing is an innovative additive manufacturing technology used to fabricate structures that can evolve over time when exposed to a predefined environmental stimulus. 4D printed objects are no longer static objects but programmable active structures that accomplish their functions thanks to a change over time in their physical/chemical properties that usually displays macroscopically as a shapeshifting in response to an external stimulus. 4D printing is characterized by several entangled features (e.g., involved material(s), structure geometry, and applied stimulus entities) that need to be carefully coupled to obtain a favorable fabrication and a functioning structure. Overall, the integration of micro-/nanofabrication methods of biomaterials with nanomaterials represents a promising approach for the development of advanced materials. The ability to construct complex and multifunctional triggerable structures capable of being activated allows for the control of biomedical device activity, reducing the need for invasive interventions. Such advancements provide new tools to biomedical engineers and clinicians to design dynamically actuated implantable devices. In this context, the aim of this review is to demonstrate the potential of 4D printing as an enabling manufacturing technology to code the environmentally triggered physical evolution of structures and devices of biomedical interest.
四维（4D）打印是一种创新的增材制造技术，用于制造在受到预定义环境刺激时能够随时间演变的结构。4D打印的物体不再是静态物体，而是可编程的活性结构，由于其物理/化学性质随时间变化，通常会在宏观上表现为响应外部刺激而发生形状变化，从而实现其功能。4D打印具有几个相互关联的特征（例如，所涉及的材料、结构几何形状和施加的刺激实体），需要仔细耦合这些特征才能获得良好的制造效果和功能结构。总体而言，生物材料的微/纳米制造方法与纳米材料的整合是开发先进材料的一种有前景的方法。构建能够被激活的复杂多功能可触发结构的能力有助于控制生物医学设备的活性，减少侵入性干预的需求。这些进展为生物医学工程师和临床医生提供了新工具，以设计动态驱动的可植入设备。在此背景下，本综述的目的是展示4D打印作为一种使能制造技术的潜力，该技术能够对具有生物医学意义的结构和设备的环境触发物理演变进行编码。
