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Functional Polymer Applications in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2167

Special Issue Editor

School of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Interests: funtional polymers; natural polymers; diagnostic materials; biomedical engineering; wound dressings; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional polymeric materials refer to a class of high-molecular-weight materials that have specific physical, chemical or biological functions through molecular design or modification, which is a very important component in the field of drug delivery and tissue engineering. The role of functional polymers in these fields has transformed from inert components into intelligent components that actively participate in biological processes. Functional polymers are not only the cornerstones of these biomedical fields but also drive the fields’ cutting-edge development. The emerging research directions of functional polymers in drug delivery focus on the development of smart-responsive, actively targeted, and multi-functional collaborative delivery systems, while the promising research directions of functional polymers in tissue engineering focus on the development of intelligent, bioactive, dynamic, and precise scaffold materials. In addition, selection and composition, bionic structure design, personalized customization, and sustainability of polymers are also their future development trends.

Dr. Lu Jiang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • functional polymers
  • drug delivery
  • tissue engineering
  • biomedical engineering
  • responsive polymers
  • bioactive polymers
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

45 pages, 6602 KB  
Review
Four-Dimensional Printing of Shape Memory Polymers for Biomedical Applications: Advances in DLP and SLA Manufacturing
by Raj Kumar Pittala, Marc Anthony Torres, Neha Reddy, Sara Swank and Melanie Ecker
Polymers 2026, 18(1), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18010024 - 22 Dec 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1888
Abstract
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) represent an innovative class of materials that possess programmed, reversible shape-changing capabilities in response to external stimuli. The recent emergence of SMPs’ advanced manufacturing, specifically 4D printing, has created exceptional opportunities for use in biomedical engineering. This review presents [...] Read more.
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) represent an innovative class of materials that possess programmed, reversible shape-changing capabilities in response to external stimuli. The recent emergence of SMPs’ advanced manufacturing, specifically 4D printing, has created exceptional opportunities for use in biomedical engineering. This review presents a critical synthesis of the latest advances in the chemistry, biomedical applications, manufacturing strategies, and clinical translation of SMPs, highlighting vat photopolymerization techniques, such as stereolithography (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP). Notably, 4D-printed SMPs can promote spatiotemporally controlled architectures, and applications include minimally invasive implants, dynamic tissue scaffolds, and multifunctional drug delivery. This paper focuses on recent advances in resin design, multi-responsive and nanocomposite resins, AI-guided material discovery, and emerging biocompatible and biodegradable formulations, while outlining current roadblocks to clinical implementation, including cytotoxicity, sterilization, regulatory compliance, and device shelf-life. Our goal is to elucidate the relationship between material design, processing, and biomedical performance to inform researchers of potential future directions for 4D-printed SMPs and next-generation, patient-centered medical devices. Full article
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