Responsive Polymers
Polymers that change conformation or properties in response to stimuli.
Martensitic Transformation in Crystal-Amorphous Superlattices of NiTi Shape Memory Alloy
Crystal-amorphous superlattices in NiTi are simulated to shift martensitic transformation behavior, boosting reversibility and stiffness while raising transformation critical stress.
HVAF Spraying of NiTi Coatings: Microstructure, Phase Transformation and Shape Memory Behavior
HVAF spraying enables thick (100–300 µm) NiTi shape-memory alloy coatings on mild steel that can undergo martensitic transformation and exhibit thermal actuation and shape memory effects after annealing.
FUTURE OF 4D PRINTING IN SOFT ROBOTICS AND INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION
A 2015–2025 review synthesizes how 4D printing with stimulus-responsive materials enables programmable, adaptive soft robotics and intelligent automation, while highlighting remaining barriers to translation.
Scientists discover a strange property in rice and turn it into a smart material
A rice-derived, pressure-rate-dependent effect was used to engineer a material that automatically adapts stiffness to distinguish gentle motion from sudden impacts.
Current 3D Printing and Developed 4D Printing Technologies in Dentistry
The record reviews how 4D printing with stimuli-responsive smart materials could enable adaptive, time-evolving dental devices, though translation to routine practice still needs further research.
Function, Complexity and Thermodynamics in Adaptive and Intelligent Soft Matter Systems: An Information-Theoretical Framework
An information-channel framework quantifies responsive, adaptive, and intelligent soft matter using three metrics and benchmark planes tied to thermodynamics and noise.
Solvent‐Responsive Shape Memory Porous Semicrystalline Thermoplastic Polyurethane
Porous semicrystalline TPU made by salt-leaching can recover shape in ethyl acetate, with solvent-driven changes in amorphous mobility and partial crystalline dissolution improving recovery while preserving mechanical properties.
Multimaterial 4D printing of adaptive and reconfigurable auxetic metastructures
Multimaterial 4D printing with PLA/PCL enables auxetic metastructures whose geometry–material coupling yields tunable mechanics, energy absorption, and thermally induced reconfigurability.
4D Printing in Biomedical Implants and Functional Healthcare Devices
A review of biomedical 4D printing that links stimuli-responsive material platforms to programmed, time-dependent actuation for implants, drug delivery, and adaptive wearables.
Light-activated gel could impact wearables, soft robotics, and more
A light-activated, biocompatible soft gel is reported to dramatically change its conductivity, supporting ionotronics-style interfaces for wearables and soft robotics.
Shape Memory Polymers: An Overview
This review systematically surveys shape-memory polymer composites and their thermally, solvent, light, electrically, and magnetically induced response mechanisms, highlighting key design strategies and remaining challenges.
Shape-morphing greenhouse: design of a thermally responsive transparent 4D-printed structure
A proof-of-concept transparent 4D-printed PLA greenhouse structure was tested for thermally driven shape-morphing ventilation using bio-inspired mechanisms, showing concept potential but material and structural limits.
Revolutionizing Personalized Medicine with 4D Printing in Drug Delivery
4D printing uses dynamic materials that change with temperature, humidity, and pH to enable environment- and body-signal–dependent, personalized drug delivery.
Applications and Research of 4D Printing in Material Design
4D printing integrates smart materials into additive manufacturing so cured parts can undergo programmable, stimulus-driven shape and functionality changes over time.
Machine learning-guided tuning of shape memory behavior in 4D-printed single-layer elastomer strip
Machine learning-guided optimization of 4D-printed PU/Eudragit S100/MTZ elastomer strips enables strong mechanical performance and high shape recovery for pH-responsive, site-specific drug delivery.
Enhancing Shape Recovery and Mechanical Properties of Bisphenol-A-Epoxy-Based Shape Memory Polymer Composites (SMPCs) Using Amine Curing Agent Blends
Blending Bisphenol-A epoxy SMP with amine curing agents and adding carbon fillers improves curing/mechanics and yields faster, stronger shape recovery, with best results at 3 wt% filler.
Reinforcing Shape Memory Polymers With Reclaimed Carbon Fibers: Toward Sustainable and Functional Smart Composites
Reclaimed carbon fibers can be upcycled into shape-memory polymer composites that improve strength and enable faster thermal, hot-water, and electro-activated recovery, especially with longer fibers.
Transmission loss of a labyrinthine acoustic metamaterial augmented with multichannel feedforward active noise control
A labyrinthine acoustic metamaterial is augmented with multichannel feedforward active noise control to improve transmission loss.
Enabling Rapid Filler‐Free Magnetic Actuation of Shape Memory Polymer Composites Using Woven Carbon Fabrics as Eddy Current Susceptor
A filler-free magnetic induction heating strategy uses conductive woven carbon fabrics in shape memory polymer composites, with laminate lay-up tuned to achieve full shape recovery in 30 s.
Fundamentals and Uses of 4D Printing on Textiles
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.
Fabrication and finite element analysis of variable-sensitivity force sensor using structural modification and stiffness change of shape-memory polymer
A variable-sensitivity force sensor is fabricated and analyzed using finite element analysis, leveraging stiffness changes in a shape-memory polymer.
Computational design and analysis of biocompatible shape memory polymer-based self-expandable stent
A finite-element workflow designs a biodegradable SMP-based self-expandable stent and identifies a five-cell lattice that yields high shape fixity and near-complete recovery with low deployment stress.
Design and Modeling of a Simple-Structured Continuously Variable Transmission Utilizing Shape Memory Alloy Superelasticity for Twisted String Actuator
A simple CVT for twisted string actuators is proposed using two superelastic SMA rods whose load-dependent deformation enables continuous transmission-ratio variation.
Programmable Telescopic Soft Pneumatic Actuators for Deployable and Shape Morphing Soft Robots
Programmable Telescopic Soft Pneumatic Actuators (PTSPAs) use a parameterized geometry generator and systematic parameter exploration to enable deployable, shape-morphing soft robot locomotion in confined spaces.