Cold Plasma-Enabled Interface Engineering and In-Situ Functionalization of Printable Feedstocks in Additive Manufacturing: Mechanisms, Materials, and Applications

Cold plasma (CP) has emerged as a multifunctional surface engineering technology capable of enabling precise, non-thermal modification of material interfaces, while additive manufacturing (AM) has transformed modern fabrication through a layer-by-layer model of personalized therapies. This review discusses potential interactions between cold plasma technologies and additive manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. CP has been investigated for surface modifications before and after manufacturing processes in several material science applications. Through controlled surface activation and plasma-induced chemistry, CP-assisted processes can enhance interlayer adhesion, surface wettability, antimicrobial activity, and bioactivity of AM-fabricated models, by generating reactive species and introducing functional groups into the surfaces of materials. The review also discusses engineering and regulatory challenges associated with plasma technologies in AM. Overall, CP represents a versatile surface modification technology whose interaction with materials used in AM deserves further investigation.