A review of fused deposition modelling for 3D printing of smart polymeric materials and composites

Abstract Over the last 10 years, a dispersion of applications of additive manufacturing (AM) into various fields has emerged. One area in which AM has created a surge of research interest and innovation in recent years relates to the fabrication of smart materials, which is fueled by the ever-broadening scope of deployment of functional devices. As researchers embrace this new paradigm, the spread merits a careful appraisal of the trends to understand the dynamics of evolution of this technology in different sub-fields. In light of the aforesaid, this paper chronicles the recent progress and presents a snapshot of reported resources and processing considerations enabling the accelerated adoption of fused deposition modelling (FDM) for polymeric smart structures. Sections of the review capture reported processing conditions and properties of components fabricated with FDM using either piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) polymer along with its composites or shape memory polymers/composites. The review highlights applications that range from simple planar structures, lattice/auxetic structures, energetic composites, adaptive/shape-morphing metamaterials, to thermo-/optical-/hydro-sensitive components. It is surmised that while the adoption of FDM in this area has been rapid, more concerted efforts are needed concerning the synthesis of smart polymer feedstocks, process simulation for defect minimization, tuning of the FDM process, and standardization of tests for characterizations of fabricated samples.