Daniela Ribeiro* and Silvia Le
Abstract
Hydrogels are materials capable of absorbing a large amount of water. They can be synthesized using polysaccharides, proteins, synthetic polymers, etc. Usually, these materials are sensitive to external stimuli, which mean that they can change when submitted to a specific environment. For example, they can change their volume due to the pH variation. Because of this sensibility, hydrogels can be used as ink in 4D printing, which is a technology that prints dynamic materials. In other words, it is a printing technique that creates materials capable of changing when there is an external stimulus, such as water presence, magnetic field, heat, etc. This paper approaches the synthesis and behaviour of two types of chitosan/PVP hydrogels and discusses, using bibliographic references of editorial selectivity, if these materials can be used as ink in 4D printing. In addition, there is a theoretical approach to the use of biomimetic concepts in the design of the printed material.