4D Printing Micelle-enhanced Shape Memory Polymer for Minimally Invasive Implant

Fu-Kang Liu; Zhe Lu; Jing-Jing Cui; Yun-Long Guo; Chen Liang; Shi-Wei Feng; Zhen-Xiang Wang; Zhi-Jie Mao; Biao Zhang

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3423-6

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4D Printing Micelle-enhanced Shape Memory Polymer for Minimally Invasive Implant

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-10-30

- 4D Printing Micelle-enhanced Shape Memory Polymer for Minimally Invasive Implant
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 11, Pages: 1991-1999(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  State Key Laboratory of Flexible Electronics (LOFE) & Institute of Flexible Electronics (IFE), Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
- Author bio：
  
  iambzhang@nwpu.edu.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3423-6
  CLC：
- Received：08 June 2025，
  
  Accepted：02 August 2025，
  
  Online First：11 October 2025，
  
  Published：05 November 2025
- Accepted：
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Liu, F. K.; Lu, Z.; Cui, J. J.; Guo, Y. L.; Liang, C.; Feng, S. W.; Wang, Z. X.; Mao, Z. J.; Zhang, B. 4D printing micelle-enhanced shape memory polymer for minimally invasive implant. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1991–1999

Fu-Kang Liu, Zhe Lu, Jing-Jing Cui, et al. 4D Printing Micelle-enhanced Shape Memory Polymer for Minimally Invasive Implant[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(11): 1991-1999.
Liu, F. K.; Lu, Z.; Cui, J. J.; Guo, Y. L.; Liang, C.; Feng, S. W.; Wang, Z. X.; Mao, Z. J.; Zhang, B. 4D printing micelle-enhanced shape memory polymer for minimally invasive implant. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1991–1999 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3423-6.

Fu-Kang Liu, Zhe Lu, Jing-Jing Cui, et al. 4D Printing Micelle-enhanced Shape Memory Polymer for Minimally Invasive Implant[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(11): 1991-1999. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3423-6.

摘要

We report a micelle-enhanced shape memory polymer fabricated via DLP-based 4D printing. The printed constructs exhibit high toughness

dual-stimuli responsiveness

and strong recovery stress under physiological conditions

enabling minimally invasive implantation and effective lumen reopening in vascular occlusion models.

Abstract

4D-printable shape memory polymers (SMPs) hold great promise for fabricating shape morphing biomedical devices

but most existing printed polymers either require harsh activation conditions or lack sufficient mechanical strength for vascular implantation. Here

we report a dual-stimuli-responsive shape memory polymer system enhanced by acrylated Pluronic F127 (PF127-DA) micelles

which can be fabricated using digital light processing (DLP) based 3D printing. The PF127-DA based nanoscale micelles

which are formed

via

self-assembly in the hydrogel ink for 3D printing

act as crosslinkers to improve mechanical strength

fatigue resistance and elastic recovery. After drying the printed hydrogel

the obtained SMPs exhibit excellent shape recovery behaviour under mild physiological conditions—specifically body temperature (37 °C) and aqueous swelling—resulting in recovery stress up to about 150 kPa. This swelling-assisted actuation enables effective radial support

making the printed constructs suitable for vascular use.

In vitro

cytocompatibility assays with NIH/3T3 fibroblasts confirmed the suitable biocompatibility. Furthermore

the self-expanding behavior of the printed stents was validated in an occluded vessel model under physiological conditions. These results demonstrate the feasibility of 4D printed micelle-enhanced SMP for patient-specific

minimally invasive vascular stents and other soft implantable devices requiring high recovery force under physiological stimulation.

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references

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