TY  - EJOU
AU  - Liu, Lihao 
AU  - Huang, Yiting 
AU  - Wang, Dong 
AU  - Gu, Zhongze 
AU  - Liu, Xiaojiang 

TI  - 3D-Printed Porous Polymers: From Pore-Forming Strategies to Emerging Applications
T2  - Journal of Polymer Materials

PY  - 
VL  - 
IS  - 
SN  - 0976-3449

AB  - Porous polymers are critical engineering materials whose internal voids endow them with low density, mechanical compliance, and large specific surface areas, making them indispensable for high-performance applications like tissue scaffolds, separation membranes, and energy-absorbing structures. However, conventional pore-forming strategies rely on stochastic mechanisms, failing to achieve continuous porosity gradients or customized geometries. While three-dimensional (3D) printing overcomes these limitations by encoding design-driven macropores, it remains fundamentally constrained by hardware resolution, making the fabrication of submicron features or hierarchical architectures challenging when used alone. To overcome these barriers, hybrid strategies combining 3D printing with physicochemical pore-forming methods, including freeze-drying, salt leaching, gas foaming, and phase separation, have recently emerged. This review systematically synthesizes these recent advancements across three interconnected dimensions: (1) additive manufacturing platforms and their resolution-throughput trade-offs; (2) comprehensive pore-forming strategies involving materials and design; and (3) functional applications spanning biomedical engineering, environmental separation, energy devices, mechanical metamaterials, flexible electronics, and emerging photonic and robotic systems. By mapping processing strategies directly to pore scale, connectivity, and performance, this review serves as both a valuable technical reference and a practical selection guide for engineering tailored porous polymers.
KW  - Porous polymers; 3D printing; physicochemical pore-forming; hierarchical architectures; biomedical engineering

DO  - 10.32604/jpm.2026.088046