Fundamentals and Uses of 4D Printing on Textiles
Edgar Adrián Franco Urquiza, Fabian Luna Cabrera · MDPI AG · 2026
This review summarizes how 4D printing of smart, stimuli-responsive polymers on textiles can enable fabrics that change shape or properties for intelligent adaptive textile systems.
Plain English summary
Why this matters
Key findings
- 4D printing on textiles can produce fabrics that change shape or properties under external stimuli.
- The review covers fundamentals of 4D printing, including additive manufacturing technology and materials.
- It surveys advancements in smart textiles and multifunctional fabric functionality.
- It focuses on technical foundations and emerging applications of 4D-printed smart polymers integrated onto passive textiles.
- It includes a critical review of developments and challenges, including contributions shared via social media.
Limitations
As a review, it does not present new experimental demonstrations in the abstract; it also does not specify quantitative performance results, specific materials systems, or validated application outcomes.
Publication
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Publication date
- January 9, 2026
- Research type
- Paper
- License
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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