Functional 3D printing: Approaches and bioapplications

3D printing technology has become a mature manufacturing technique, widely used for its advantages over the traditional methods, such as the end-user customization and rapid prototyping, useful in different application fields, including the biomedical one. Indeed, it represents a helpful tool for the realization of biodevices (i.e. biosensors, microfluidic bioreactors, drug delivery systems and Lab-On-Chip). In this perspective, the development of 3D printable materials with intrinsic functionalities, through the so-called 4D printing, introduces novel opportunities for the fabrication of “smart” or stimuli-responsive devices.

Highlights

New trends of functional 3D-printed technology for bioapplications are reviewed.

Fundamentals of additive manufacturing for functional 3D printing are described.

Advancedmaterials for biorecognition, biocatalysis, and precision medicine are discussed.

The perspective of functional 3D printing in biological field is envisioned.

Indeed, functional 3D printable materials can modify their surfaces, structures, properties or even shape in response to specific stimuli (such as pressure, temperature or light radiation), adding to the printed object new interesting properties exploited after the fabrication process. In this context, by combining 3D printing technology with an accurate materials’ design, functional 3D objects with built-in (bio)chemical functionalities, having biorecognition, biocatalytic and drug delivery capabilities are here reported. Continue on functional 3D printing

Article Information: Gianluca Palmara, Francesca Frascella, Ignazio Roppolo, Annalisa Chiappone, Alessandro Chiadò. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2020.112849.