Unleashing the potential of 3D printing soft materials

Soft materials have attracted substantial attention in interdisciplinary research because of their remarkable resemblance to human tissues. The use of three-dimensional (3D) printing has revolutionized the field by offering widespread personalization and extensive capabilities to process soft materials. However, despite its immense potential, 3D-printable soft material encounters challenges, such as a restricted range of soft materials suitable for printing, suboptimal resolution, slow printing speed, and inadequate functional attributes. The aim of this perspective is to provide a comprehensive summary of strategies to overcome these challenges. Specifically, we focus on two crucial aspects: the development of printable materials and the enhancement of printability for previously unprintable materials, as well as functional structures engineering. Furthermore, the transformative potential of 3D printing soft materials for diverse device applications is highlighted, shedding light on its significant prospects.