Research progress on piezoelectric biomaterials.

Abstract

Piezoelectric biomaterials have attracted increasing attention in biomedicine because they can convert mechanical stimuli into localized electrical signals, providing a self-powered and dynamically responsive strategy for regulating biological behaviors and tissue microenvironments. With the development of tissue engineering, flexible electronics, minimally invasive therapy, and implantable medical devices, piezoelectric materials have been widely explored for bone repair, nerve regeneration, anti-infective therapy, biosensing, medical diagnosis, and tumor treatment. This review summarizes recent progress in piezoelectric biomaterials from a material-oriented perspective, focusing on their piezoelectric mechanisms, structural characteristics, activation conditions, and biomedical applications. Representative piezoelectric bioceramics generally exhibit high piezoelectric output and strong electromechanical coupling, making them suitable for bone regeneration, antibacterial therapy, tumor treatment, ultrasonic transducers, and implantable sensing. In contrast, piezoelectric polymers show better flexibility, processability, biocompatibility, and degradability, offering advantages in tissue engineering scaffolds, wound repair, flexible sensors, and implantable devices. However, clinical translation remains limited by unclear bioelectrical mechanisms, insufficient in vivo stimulation verification, and multifunctional design complexity. Future studies should emphasize mechanism clarification, standardized characterization, in vivo validation, and long-term biosafety assessment to promote the reliable biomedical application of piezoelectric biomaterials. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Piezoelectric biomaterials have emerged as promising platforms for tissue regeneration, anti-infective therapy, biosensing, and tumor treatment because they convert mechanical stimuli into localized electrical or piezocatalytic signals. However, differences in activation conditions, measurement methods, and biological responses hinder the reliable comparison and translation of reported findings. This review examines how different classes of piezoelectric biomaterials, including ceramics, synthetic and natural polymers, and ceramic-polymer composites, contribute to biomedical functions through their distinct electromechanical properties. In addition to summarizing recent advances, this review highlight unresolved issues related to physiological activation, standardized characterization, and the safety of multifunctional systems. This review aims to facilitate the development of more reliable and clinically relevant piezoelectric biomaterials.