Li Weishi/Qin Yu’s Team at Peking University Third Hospital Publishes Findings: Development of 4D Metal Bone Implant to Promote Bone Regeneration

Author: Qin Yu

https://www.puh3.net.cn/info/1971/175561.htm

On May 27, 2026, the team led by Professor Li Weishi / Associate Researcher Qin Yu from the Department of Orthopedics, Peking University Third Hospital, in collaboration with Professor Zheng Yufeng from Peking University, Associate Professor Wen Peng from Tsinghua University, and Assistant Professor Yang Hongtao from Beihang University, published a research achievement in the authoritative journal Nature Communications, titled “4D metallic metamaterials for bone implants via biodegradation.”

Building on the static 3D bone implant developed last year, the team proposed and fabricated a “4D metal mechanical metamaterial” with dynamic adaptive capability: combining highly elastic biometals with degradable metals into a special structure, and utilizing the corrosion process naturally occurring in the physiological environment as a time-triggering mechanism. This 4D metal metamaterial offers greater freedom in material selection and is better suited for long-term implantation scenarios such as bone implantation, tendon-bone interface repair, or drug delivery.

Qin Yu and Associate Researcher Jing Zehao from Peking University Third Hospital are co-first authors. Li Weishi, Qin Yu, Zheng Yufeng, Wen Peng, and Yang Hongtao are co-corresponding authors.

Original link：DOI:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-73728-3

Paper screenshot