Recent Progress in 3D Printing of Hydrogels

Dear Colleague,

It is well known that hydrogels are typical soft materials consisting of a hydrophilic three-dimensional polymer network and a large amount of water, and have been widely used in flexible electronics, soft robotics, drug delivery and biomedical applications. Hydrogels can usually only be fabricated into two-dimensional or simple three-dimensional structures by the template method in conventional manufacturing processes, which severely limits their application prospects. Recently, 3D printing technology has gained much attention because of its ability to quickly convert digital designs into complex structures on demand. The customized 3D manufacturing of hydrogels can be thoroughly explored in combination with 3D printing technology, which is expected to enable the application of hydrogels in a wider range of fields.

However, hydrogel precursors are often difficult to use directly for 3D printing. Most of the initial hydrogel precursors need to be adapted to 3D printing techniques. Therefore, it is important in the study of 3D-printed hydrogels to maintain their functionality as much as possible without losing printing performance and to print hydrogels with a higher water content.

This Special Issue focuses on the recent progress in 3D printing of hydrogels. Relevant topics include, but are not limited to, theoretical and experimental studies, mechanical properties, rheological properties, self-healing properties, electrical conductivity, biological properties, thermal properties, structural characterization, fabrication methods and 3D printing processes.

Prof. Dr. Yanen Wang
Guest Editor

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