Additive Manufacturing as a Method to Design and Optimize Bioinspired Structures

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a current technology undergoing rapid development that is utilized in a wide variety of applications. In the field of biological and bioinspired materials, additive manufacturing is being used to generate intricate prototypes to expand our understanding of the fundamental structure-property relationships that govern nature's spectacular mechanical performance. Herein, recent advances in the use of AM for improving the understanding of the structure-property relationship in biological materials and for the production of bioinspired materials are reviewed. There are four essential components to this work: a) extracting defining characteristics of biological designs, b) designing 3D-printed prototypes, c) performing mechanical testing on 3D-printed prototypes to understand fundamental mechanisms at hand, and d) optimizing design for tailorable performance. It is intended to highlight how the various types of additive manufacturing methods are utilized, to unravel novel discoveries in the field of biological materials. Since AM processing techniques have surpassed antiquated limitations, especially with respect to spatial scales, there has been a surge in their demand as an integral tool for research. In conclusion, current challenges and the technical perspective for further development of bioinspired materials using AM are discussed.