3D Bioplotter Research Papers

The lack of an effective printable ink preparation method and the usual mechanically weak performance obstruct the functional 3D printing hydrogel exploitation and application. Herein, we propose a gentle pre-cross-linking strategy to enable a loosely cross-linked cellulose network for simultaneously achieving favorable printability and a strong hydrogel network via mediating the cellulose self-assembly. A small amount of epichlorohydrin is applied to (i) slightly pre-cross-link the cellulose chains for forming the percolating network to regulate the rheological properties and (ii) form the loosely cross-linked points to mediate the cellulose chains’ self-assembly for achieving superior mechanical properties. The fabrication of the complex…

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), a type of natural photonic crystal, have been used to develop various optical materials owing to their chiral nematic organization, renewability, sustainability, and abundance. However, scaling up the production of CNC-based photonic materials remains challenging because of their long self-assembly time, inevitable assembly defects, static optical properties, and brittle nature. To address these drawbacks, the current study introduces flexible photonic hydrogels with chromatic patterns that are 3D printed using CNC-based inks. These viscoelastic inks were composed of photopolymerizable monomers and CNCs that harbored high aspect ratios. The luminance and color difference of the patterns in the photonic…

Intensively studied 3D printing technology is frequently hindered by the effective printable ink preparation method. Herein, we propose an elegant and gentle solvent consumption strategy to slowly disrupt the thermodynamic stability of the biopolymer (polysaccharide: cellulose, chitin, and chitosan) solution to slightly induce the molecule chains to in situ self-assemble into nanostructures for regulating the rheological properties, eventually achieving the acceptable printability. The polysaccharides are dissolved in the alkali/urea solvent. The weak Lewis acid fumed silica (as solvent mediator) is used to (i) slowly and partially consume the alkali/urea solvent to induce the polysaccharide chains to self-assemble into nanofibers to…