So-called four-dimensional (4D) printing synergistically combines the advantages of additive manufacturing with the unique capabilities of functional materials to fabricate objects that have complex shapes and can change their physical properties (e.g. shape, stiffness, color) over time (4th dimension) under the application of an external stimulus (e.g., temperature, moisture, pH, light, electric or magnetic field). Accordingly, 4D printing has emerged as an innovative manufacturing paradigm to overcome geometry, space, time, energy, performance, and cost constraints in numerous application fields from the nano to the macro scale. In recent years, extensive research has been promoted across different disciplines and people from a wide range of backgrounds are working to make it better. This includes people who work in materials science, manufacturing technology, engineering, and robotics as well as people who work in computer-based design. However, numerous challenges in several disciplines have yet to be overcome to bring 4D printing closer to applications due to the tight connection between the process, material functionalities, and final design.
This Special Issue will include review articles and original research papers intended to cover the latest advances in 4D printing from different perspectives. The covered topics will include, but will not be limited to:
- Technologies for additive manufacturing
- Developments in functional materials, shape memory polymers (SMP), hydrogels, and hygromorphs
- Experimental characterization and validation methods
- Constitutive modeling of smart materials at different scales
- Multi-scale computational methods
- Topology and design optimization for shape-changing structures and biomimicry
- Assisted design for applications
- Different industrial and bio/medical applications
Editors
Ali Zolfagharian, Eujin Pei, Giulia Scalet, Mahdi Bodaghi
Timeline
Submission starts: June 1, 2022
Submission ends: February 28, 2023
Please upload your paper onto the journal’s electronic submission system here
Please mention in the covering letter that this paper is for SI New trends in 4D Printing: from Design to Materials and Applications