Four-dimension printing in healthcare
Muthu Parkkavi Sekar, Harshavardhan Budharaju, Allen Zennifer, Swaminathan Sethuraman, Dhakshinamoorthy Sundaramurthi
Abstract
4D printing is the addition of the fourth dimension to the 3D printing technology. In 4D printing , either single or multiple materials are used to fabricate 3D objects, which could transform into pre-programmed shape and also be able to morph between these two different dimensions. This material capability to change between the dimensions is enabled by the effect of external stimuli such as magnetic field, electricity, light, heat, ions etc. Further, integration of time as fourth dimension makes the printed structures to dynamically change their shapes depending on the pre-programmed features and other associated demands. These shape-morphing potential is fully enabled by the sole stimuli-responsive properties of the materials of choice used for the printing process. 4D printing provides structural flexibility and also offers dynamic stimuli responsiveness to the printed constructs and hence gives the choice of dimensional programmability in creating functional tissue constructs. 4D printing finds applications in a wide variety of fields such as electronics, sensors, soft-robotics, aerospace, defense, energy, textiles, medicine, and automobile manufacturing industries. In this chapter, we discuss the basics & pre-requisite for 4D printing and also elaborate the types of stimuli-responsive materials used for 4D printing applications. Finally, the applications of 4D printing in healthcare domain are outlined with appropriate examples.