Smart Materials for 4-D Printing: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

4-D printing is an exciting new technology that combines the concept of multi-material 3-D printing and smart materials to form a printable material that has an additional dimension of time. The process of 4-D printing employs programmable matter such that the printer product reacts with external stimuli and changes its shape. These kinds of materials find their application in the carious fields such as self-construction structures, medicinal devices, smart pipes and soft robotics. In this paper, review of smart materials and their possible applications has been conducted.