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<p>Recent technological advancements have been strongly driven by the availability of suitable functional materials, particularly polymers and their composites. In parallel, increasing global awareness of human health and environmental sustainability has accelerated the development of advanced polymeric systems, including smart polymers. Smart polymers are a class of materials capable of undergoing significant and reversible physicochemical changes in response to external stimuli, making them highly attractive for addressing complex biomedical challenges. Consequently, these materials have found diverse and specialized applications across biomedicine and related fields. The integration of smart materials as biomaterials has introduced a new paradigm characterized by adaptive, living, and self-regulating systems. These materials are designed to interact dynamically with biological environments and evolve alongside physiological processes over time. Smart polymer-based systems often incorporate dynamic feedback mechanisms, such as mechanoresponsive and biochemically responsive networks, enabling real-time adaptation to change within tissue microenvironments. To further enhance the functional potential of smart polymers, additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a transformative fabrication approach. AM enables the production of complex, patient-specific geometries while minimizing material waste, thereby supporting sustainable and precision-driven biomedical manufacturing. However, despite these advantages, several challenges remain, including limitations in manufacturability, reproducibility during AM processing, and uncertainties related to long-term in vivo degradation and lifecycle performance. This review therefore examines current advances in the application of additive manufacturing technologies, particularly in 3D and 4D printing of smart polymers and the application of 5D and 6D printing. It further evaluates how AM processing influences smart polymer performance and functionality in biomedical applications, while also discussing existing challenges and outlining future research directions toward clinical translation.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Recent advances in smart polymers for biomedical applications using additive manufacturing systems

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月9日

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  • Isiaka Oluwole Oladele,
  • Adekunle Mathew Ajayi,
  • Queen Oluwatoyin Adewumi,
  • Nnabuike Linus Onuh,
  • Ojo Friday Abraham,
  • Anuoluwapo Samuel Taiwo,
  • Abimbola Oluwatayo Orisawayi

摘要

Recent technological advancements have been strongly driven by the availability of suitable functional materials, particularly polymers and their composites. In parallel, increasing global awareness of human health and environmental sustainability has accelerated the development of advanced polymeric systems, including smart polymers. Smart polymers are a class of materials capable of undergoing significant and reversible physicochemical changes in response to external stimuli, making them highly attractive for addressing complex biomedical challenges. Consequently, these materials have found diverse and specialized applications across biomedicine and related fields. The integration of smart materials as biomaterials has introduced a new paradigm characterized by adaptive, living, and self-regulating systems. These materials are designed to interact dynamically with biological environments and evolve alongside physiological processes over time. Smart polymer-based systems often incorporate dynamic feedback mechanisms, such as mechanoresponsive and biochemically responsive networks, enabling real-time adaptation to change within tissue microenvironments. To further enhance the functional potential of smart polymers, additive manufacturing (AM) has emerged as a transformative fabrication approach. AM enables the production of complex, patient-specific geometries while minimizing material waste, thereby supporting sustainable and precision-driven biomedical manufacturing. However, despite these advantages, several challenges remain, including limitations in manufacturability, reproducibility during AM processing, and uncertainties related to long-term in vivo degradation and lifecycle performance. This review therefore examines current advances in the application of additive manufacturing technologies, particularly in 3D and 4D printing of smart polymers and the application of 5D and 6D printing. It further evaluates how AM processing influences smart polymer performance and functionality in biomedical applications, while also discussing existing challenges and outlining future research directions toward clinical translation.

Graphical abstract