Degradable piezoelectric biomaterials for medical applications

The energy harvesting technology based on piezoelectricity promises to achieve a self-powered mode for portable medical electronic devices. Piezoelectric materials, as crucial components in electromechanical applications, have extensively been utilized in portable medical electronic devices. Especially, degradable piezoelectric biomaterials have received much attention in the medical field due to their excellent biocompatibility and biosafety. This mini-review mainly summarizes the types and structural characteristics of degradable piezoelectric biomaterials from degradable piezoelectric small-molecule crystals to piezoelectric polymers. Afterward, medical applications are briefly introduced, including energy harvester and sensor, actuator and transducer, and tissue engineering scaffold. Finally, from a material perspective, some challenges currently faced by degradable piezoelectric biomaterials are proposed.