Smart Healthcare Piezoelectric Materials: Bridging Mechanoelectric Coupling to Clinical Translation

Abstract: Piezoelectric materials have emerged as transformative biomedical platforms capable of converting physiological mechanical stimuli into precisely regulated bioelectric signals. Compared to most nanomedicines with multiple components and increasingly complex nanostructures, piezoelectric nanomaterials feature simple and well-defined composition and structure, along with tunable morphology, size, and piezoelectric catalytic activity. Beyond ultrahigh catalytic activity, piezoelectric materials exhibit an inherent, unique carrier release capability enabling them to trigger diverse redox catalytic reactions, offering significant potential for future medical applications. Triggered by mechanical energy, these materials release electrons/ holes to catalyze substrate redox reactions or modulate biological processes, facilitating the production of effector molecules for medical use (e.g., signal monitoring, sterilization, therapy). To advance novel medical technologies—especially biomedical development—this review outlines recent progress in piezoelectric catalytic biomedicine. It first introduces the principle of piezoelectric catalysis and piezoelectric material preparation methods, then comprehensively summarizes their medical applications (tumor therapy, smart wearables, tissue repair/ regeneration, biosensing). It also demonstrates the tremendous potential of piezoelectric materials in clinical translation. Finally, an intelligent closed-loop system based on 5G is discussed and proposed to build the next generation of personalized medical (IoMT) paradigm. It is expected that the IoMT paradigm can completely change the existing medical model, comprehensively improve the efficiency of medical services, provide the public with new personalized medical care, and promote lifestyle changes. This paper identifies current bottlenecks in long-term biocompatibility, real-time signal monitoring, and standardized system development. It aims to provide insights for intelligent piezoelectric healthcare materials, with the goal of advancing the application of piezoelectric materials in the field of smart healthcare.