3D Bioplotter Research Papers

Presented here is the synthesis of a 3D printable nano-polysaccharide self-healing hydrogel for flexible strain sensors. Consisting of three distinct yet complementary dynamic bonds, the crosslinked network comprises imine, hydrogen, and catecholato-metal coordination bonds. Self-healing of the hydrogel is demonstrated by macroscopic observation, rheological recovery, and compression measurements. The hydrogel was produced via imine formation of carboxyl methyl chitosan, oxidized cellulose nanofibers, and chitin nanofibers followed by two subsequent crosslinking stages: immersion in tannic acid (TA) solution to create hydrogen bonds, followed by soaking in FeIII solution to form catecholato-metal coordination bonds between TA and FeIII. The metal coordination bonds…

Herein, we demonstrate 3D printing of an elastomeric imidazolium polyamide-ionene which exhibits intrinsic shape-memory (SM) and self-healing (SH) character, reporting optimized printing conditions and rheological properties. This study shows the suitability of this material for 3D-printing via fused deposition modeling. The 3D-printed objects retain elasticity and SM when external force is applied, and the elastomeric character is quantified via mechanical testing. This work highlights the benefits of SH behavior as a design feature combatting inherent material weaknesses or insufficient adhesion at seams and layer junctions. DFT calculations confirmed the importance of ionic interactions and H-bonding in the SH process.

Dynamic hydrogels are prepared by either dynamic covalent bonds or supramolecular chemistry. Herein, we develop a dynamic hydrogel by combining both dynamic covalent bonds and supramolecular chemistry that exhibits environmentally adaptive self-healing and pH-tuning properties. To do so, we prepared a gelatin–nanopolysaccharide mixed hydrogel containing pyrogallol/catechol groups and trivalent metal ions. The as-prepared hydrogels are able to heal damage inflicted on them under acidic (pH 3 and 6), neutral (pH 7), and basic (pH 9) environments. The mechanism of healing at acidic and neutral pHs is dominated by coordination bonds between pyrogallol/catechol groups of tannic acid and ferric ions, whilst…