3D and 4D Printing of (Bio)Materials II
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomacromolecules, Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 16098
Special Issue Editor
Interests: 3D bioprinting; 3D printing; continuous manufacturing; drug formulation and delivery; implantable medical devices; smart biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
3D printing has emerged as one of the most versatile fabrication technologies, referred to as the additive manufacturing technique, which involves additives such as polymers and metals deposited in sequential layers to produce a 3D object (i.e., pills or medical devices). The convergence of additive manufacturing and printing materials is of significant aptitude for the advancement of person-specific products in the pharmaceutical and medical sphere. Geometric shapes as well as the visual effects of materials currently used in additive manufacturing play essential roles towards smooth fabrication with the highest shape fidelity possible. In most cases, especially in biomedical applications, functions of devices and structures are surprisingly limited by the complexity of the manageable shapes. Further, traditional processing techniques such as ink jet 2D printing or molding suffer from the failure of meeting the growing needs due to both the difficulty and production-associated cost. These inimitable needs have positioned 3D printing as an attractive option because of its supreme flexibility and versatility in producing complex structures. However, the application and practical potential of the current state of 3D printing is to some extent limited due to its speed for scale-up and meeting the growing demands for increased numbers of populations.
Therefore, it is projected that moving from the stepwise layer-by-layer process which is typical in 3D printing to a continuous process may significantly accelerate the practical potential of printing technology. Being based on traditional 3D printing, 4D printing can encompass a wide range of disciplines, such as materials science, bioengineering, and chemistry/chemical engineering, and has the true potential to emerge as the next-generation additive manufacturing technique. Using stimuli-responsive (also known as shape memory) materials, 4D printing creates structures that are capable of transforming from one shape to another, right off the print bed under various stimuli, such as heat, pH, water, etc.
The 3D printing process optimization, engineering, formulation compositions, advanced drug delivery, materials properties, and characterizations, and the state-of-the-art and limitations that exist in the current printing modalities will be explored in this proposed Special Issue of Polymers.
Dr. Mo Maniruzzaman
Guest Editor
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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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
- 3D and 4D printing
- biomaterials
- implants
- smart implants
- drug delivery
- additive manufacturing
- advanced drug delivery
- continuous manufacturing
- 3D printing of pills
- novel excipients for 3D printing
- simulation/process engineering
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.