The Current State-of-the-Art and Emerging Advancements in 3D, 4D, and 5D Printing Technologies
摘要
Certain new materials have emerged that have the ability to modify their shape, strain, size and stiffness when they are exposed to external stimuli like water, electric field, heat, light, magnetic field, etc. Such materials show a wide range of applications that make them smart materials. One among them is the Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs). They are smart in the sense that they have the ability to regain their original shape and size once the deforming external stimuli is removed. By the addition of different varieties of nanofillers, the properties of these polymers can be modified, which makes them super important in various fields like biomedical, space, textiles, buildings, etc. This chapter emphasizes the importance of 3D, 4D and 5D printing technologies and how shape memory polymers are used for this purpose. The current state of art in printing technologies and their importance, and how it was widely used during COVID times were also explained in this chapter.