Collection Overview

Scientific Reports has launched a Guest-Edited Collection on 4D printing of smart materials.

Printable shape-memory materials introduce a temporal dimension to conventional 3D printing technique. This emerging paradigm, known as 4D printing, has enabled printed structures with programmed shape shifting and/or stimuli-responsive capacities, and has been applied in wearable devices, medical devices and robotic systems.

This will be a Collection research papers and will be open for submissions from all authors – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Scientific Reports more generally. Review articles are also welcomed, to our sister journal Scientific Reviews. We are welcoming submissions until 21st July 2026.

Why is this Collection important? 

"The 4D Printing of Smart Materials Collection focuses on materials and structures that can change shape, properties, or functionality in response to external stimuli such as heat, light, moisture, magnetic or electrical fields. This topic is highly relevant as 4D printing bridges advanced materials science, additive manufacturing, and intelligent system design, enabling next-generation applications in soft robotics, biomedical devices, adaptive structures, and sustainable engineering. I am excited about this Collection because it brings together experimental, computational, and application-driven research, offering a platform to showcase innovative stimuli-responsive materials and design strategies that can significantly advance the field." - Dr. Borra N. Dhanunjaya Rao

Why submit to a Collection? 

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors, who are experts in their fields, and In-House Editors and are supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest. 

Who is involved? 

Guest Editors:

• Mir Irfan Ul Haq, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, India
• Ana Paula Piedade, University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Nishant Ranjan, Marwadi University, India
• Borra N. Dhanunjaya Rao, Vignan’s Institute of Information Technology, India
• Xiaoyong Tian, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China

Internal Team:

• In-House Editor: Junxia Wang, Scientific Reports, China
• Commissioning Editor: Charlotte Ben Romdhane, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK
• Managing Editor: Ioanna Pitsidianaki, Fully OA Brands, Springer Nature, UK

How can I submit my paper? 

Visit the Collection page to find out more about this Collection and submit your article.