Additive Manufacturing of Smart Composites
A special issue of Journal of Composites Science (ISSN 2504-477X). This special issue belongs to the section "Composites Manufacturing and Processing".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 July 2026 | Viewed by 27
Special Issue Editors
Interests: additive manufacturing; mechanics of composite materials; lightweight design; green manufacturing technology for naval and marine equipment
Interests: polymer composites; simulation; additive manufacturing; fiber orientation; topology optimization
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers unprecedented flexibility in shaping geometry, tailoring microstructure, and achieving functional integration across diverse material systems, including polymers, metals, ceramics, and hybrid composites. Leveraging these capabilities, smart composite materials—engineered with stimuli-responsive phases, embedded sensing networks, and adaptive reinforcement architectures—are emerging as key enablers of next-generation engineering solutions.
Functional integration in AM increasingly includes 4D printing and smart materials, enabling structures that can adapt, self-heal, or respond to environmental stimuli. Combined with advances in artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and multi-physics simulation, these developments allow accelerated material discovery, process optimization, and real-time quality assurance.
Recent breakthroughs in multi-material fabrication, bio-inspired designs, and digital twin methodologies are widening the application scope—from aerospace and automotive to biomedical devices, energy systems, and industrial tooling—delivering integrated performance beyond conventional manufacturing limits.
This Special Issue invites original research and comprehensive reviews on smart composites fabricated via AM across all material classes. Topics include, but are not limit to, the following:
- AI-driven design and materials/process optimization;
- Multi-material/functional integration strategies via 4D printing;
- Stimuli-responsive composites and adaptive structures;
- Multi-physics modeling and digital twins for AM systems;
- In situ sensing and feedback in composite fabrication.
We welcome contributions addressing fundamental science, manufacturing innovations, and application-driven challenges that push the boundaries of smart composite development within the AM ecosystem.
We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.
Dr. Zhaogui Wang
Dr. Douglas E. Smith
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Composites Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- additive manufacturing
- smart composites
- 4D printing
- functional integration
- multi material fabrication
- artificial intelligence in AM
- stimuli responsive materials
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