Recent advances in smart biomaterials based on ultrasonic effects

• This comprehensive review delves into the burgeoning field of ultrasonically engineered biomaterials, synthesizing insights from materials science, physics , biology, and medicine. Ultrasound, a versatile and non-invasive tool, provides unique advantages such as spatiotemporal control, deep tissue penetration, and real-time modulation, positioning it as a key player in biomedical applications. • The review delves into the physical mechanisms underlying ultrasonic effects, including cavitation, acoustic streaming, and heating, and their applications in designing adaptive biomaterials. These materials exhibit a range of functionalities, from self-healing and controlled drug release to reversible actuation and tissue integration, underscoring their transformative potential across various medical fields. • By integrating ultrasound principles with advanced biomaterial design , researchers have developed innovative solutions to complex biomedical challenges, such as hierarchical porosity , dynamic crosslinking, and hybrid acoustic-active fillers. • Challenges remain, including optimizing biocompatibility , scaling manufacturing processes, and integrating these materials into clinical and industrial systems. The review evaluates these challenges and proposes pathways forward, serving as both a state-of-the-art synthesis and a roadmap for advancing ultrasonic biomaterials toward real-world applications. Ultrasound serves as a versatile, non-invasive external stimulus, uniquely modulating biomaterial structure, properties, and functionality. This expansive review delves into the fundamentals, design strategies, and diverse material platforms of ultrasonic effects, emphasizing the rich physics of cavitation, acoustic streaming, and heating. Key findings reveal that ultrasonic effects enable exciting functionalities such as self-healing and on-demand drug release in nanocomposites and porous scaffolds. Notably, studies have shown that ultrasonic activation can trigger precise drug release profiles with up to 90% efficiency in vitro, and enhance tissue regeneration rates by 30% in vivo. Applications span controlled release therapeutics, tissue engineering, and more. Current challenges include optimizing materials for biological environments and ensuring biocompatibility. Despite these hurdles, ultrasound’s unparalleled spatiotemporal focus and penetration depths make it a powerful tool for actively modulating material behaviors, driving sustained progress in interdisciplinary research across materials science, physics, biology, and medicine.