Advances in 4D Printing: From Smart Materials to Functional Systems
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2026) | Viewed by 1130
Editors
Interests: 4D printing; shape memory polymers; metamaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: smart materials; 4D printing; mechanical metamaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: shape memory; metamaterials; flexible electronics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: smart materials; 4D printing; biological devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in 4D printing that bridge the gap between smart material innovation and the realization of functional, system-level applications. Unlike conventional additive manufacturing, 4D printing enables printed structures to actively respond, adapt, and evolve over time when exposed to external stimuli, offering transformative possibilities for intelligent engineering systems.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses the development and characterization of smart and stimuli-responsive materials, including polymers, composites, hydrogels, and multi-material systems, as well as their integration with structural and mechanical design strategies. Contributions addressing printing processes, toolpath planning, process–structure–property relationships, and multi-scale modeling and simulation are particularly encouraged. In addition, the Issue aims to highlight advances in functional systems enabled by 4D printing, such as soft robotics, biomedical devices, aerospace and mechanical components, energy harvesting systems, and adaptive or reconfigurable structures.
This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, comprehensive review papers, and short communications presenting theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies. Submissions that demonstrate system-level functionality, reliability, and practical performance, or that provide critical perspectives on current challenges and future directions of 4D printing, are especially encouraged.
Dr. Chengjun Zeng
Dr. Xiaozhou Xin
Dr. Wei Zhao
Dr. Cheng Lin
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- 4D printing
- additive manufacturing
- smart materials
- stimuli-responsive materials
- hydrogels
- multi-material systems
- soft robotics
- biomedical devices
- aerospace and mechanical components
- energy harvesting
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