3D Printing and Biomedical Applications of Piezoelectric Composites: A Critical Review

Piezoelectric composites have received widespread attentions in the fields of biomedicine and in vitro wearable devices due to their ability to convert mechanical forces into charge signals. The preparation of piezoelectric composites with complex structures through 3D printing technology can not only effectively improve their piezoelectric output, but also enable their customized therapeutic applications. This paper first introduces the types of piezoelectric composites and reviews the 3D printing technology commonly used in their preparation, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of each 3D printing technology. Then, the state-of-the-art of the biomedical applications of piezoelectric composites, including drug sustained-release, wound healing promotion, bone tissue cells growth promoting, neurorehabilitation stimulating, ultrasonic diagnosis, and in vivo biosensing and in vitro wearable sensing, are emphasized. Finally, the main factors affecting the applications of 3D printed piezoelectric composites are outlooked, and an in-depth discussion on the challenges toward 3D printed piezoelectric composites are analyzed. This review is believed to provide some fundamental knowledge of 3D printed piezoelectric composites.