Functionally Gradient Materials Using 3D Printing for Biomedical and Structural Applications
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 January 2026 | Viewed by 20
Special Issue Editor
Interests: additive manufacturing; 3D printing; porous materials; bioceramics; bone scaffolds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Functionally gradient materials (FGMs) can provide significantly enhanced functions by creating gradually varying microstructures and chemical compositions. Such gradient architectures can be found in many natural materials. For example, bones exhibit unusually high fracture strength and toughness due to their unique core/shell structures, where shells effectively suppress crack initiation, while porous cores restrain crack propagation. In addition, porous cores have different porous structures (e.g., porosity, pore size, and pore geometry) depending on their location, optimizing their mechanical properties.
For manufacturing FGMs, 3D printing (3DP) has gained special attention, as it enables the construction of complex 3D external shapes and internal structures with a high degree of design freedom and excellent reproducibility. In particular, 3DP can selectively and precisely build materials according to predetermined 3D models in layer-by-layer fashion, allowing different porous structures to be created individually at specific local positions. Furthermore, different compositions, microstructures, and porosities can be achieved locally by using multiple feedstock materials for 3D printing. As a result, a variety of FGMs, including core-shelled and laminated structures with gradient properties, hold great potential for biomedical and structural applications.
It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Regular articles, communications, and reviews are all welcome.
Prof. Dr. Young-Hag Koh
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- functionally gradient materials
- 3D printing
- biomedical applications
- structural applications
- chemical compositions
- microstructures
- porous structures
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