Polymer Composites in 3D/4D Printing: Materials, Advances, and Prospects

Ayyaz Mahmood; Fouzia Perveen; Shenggui Chen; Tayyaba Akram; Ahmad Irfan

doi:10.3390/molecules29020319

Polymer Composites in 3D/4D Printing: Materials, Advances, and Prospects

Molecules. 2024 Jan 9;29(2):319. doi: 10.3390/molecules29020319.

Authors

Ayyaz Mahmood^{1

2

3

4}, Fouzia Perveen⁵, Shenggui Chen^{1

3

4}, Tayyaba Akram⁶, Ahmad Irfan⁷

Affiliations

¹ School of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China.
² School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology, Chengdu 610054, China.
³ School of Art and Design, Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic, Guangzhou 511483, China.
⁴ Dongguan Institute of Science and Technology Innovation, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China.
⁵ School of Interdisciplinary Engineering & Sciences (SINES), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
⁶ Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha 61413, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM), commonly referred to as 3D printing, has revolutionized the manufacturing landscape by enabling the intricate layer-by-layer construction of three-dimensional objects. In contrast to traditional methods relying on molds and tools, AM provides the flexibility to fabricate diverse components directly from digital models without the need for physical alterations to machinery. Four-dimensional printing is a revolutionary extension of 3D printing that introduces the dimension of time, enabling dynamic transformations in printed structures over predetermined periods. This comprehensive review focuses on polymeric materials in 3D printing, exploring their versatile processing capabilities, environmental adaptability, and applications across thermoplastics, thermosetting materials, elastomers, polymer composites, shape memory polymers (SMPs), including liquid crystal elastomer (LCE), and self-healing polymers for 4D printing. This review also examines recent advancements in microvascular and encapsulation self-healing mechanisms, explores the potential of supramolecular polymers, and highlights the latest progress in hybrid printing using polymer-metal and polymer-ceramic composites. Finally, this paper offers insights into potential challenges faced in the additive manufacturing of polymer composites and suggests avenues for future research in this dynamic and rapidly evolving field.

Keywords: 3D printing; 4D printing; additive manufacturing; polymers; shape memory.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research is financially supported by the Key scientific research platforms and projects of Guangdong universities (2023WCXTD035 and 2022ZDZX3064 and 2023ZDZX4114 and 2023ZDZX3072 and 2023KCXTD071), the research project of Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic (2023KJ04), the research platform of Guangzhou Panyu Polytechnic (2022KYPT03), the Guangzhou higher education teaching quality and teaching reform project (2022JSJXCXTD005 and 2022CXCYJH002). A. Irfan extends his appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding through the large research groups program under grant number R.G.P.2/276/44.