Alexa Rebeca Leu, Iovu Horia, Trica Bogdan, Zaharia Catalin, Serafim Andrada, Alexandrescu Elvira, Radu Ionut-Cristian, Vlasceanu George, Preda Silviu, Ninciuleanu Claudia Mihaela, Ianchis Raluca
Advanced Polymer Materials Group, Department of Bioresources and Polymer Science, Politehnica University of Bucharest, 011061 Bucharest, Romania.
Academy of Romanian Scientists, Splaiul Independentei 54, 050094 Bucharest, Romania.
Nanomaterials (Basel). 2021 Mar 11;11(3):703. doi: 10.3390/nano11030703.
The present study investigated the possibility of obtaining 3D printed composite constructs using biomaterial-based nanocomposite inks. The biopolymeric matrix consisted of methacrylated gelatin (GelMA). Several types of nanoclay were added as the inorganic component. Our aim was to investigate the influence of clay type on the rheological behavior of ink formulations and to determine the morphological and structural properties of the resulting crosslinked hydrogel-based nanomaterials. Moreover, through the inclusion of nanoclays, our goal was to improve the printability and shape fidelity of nanocomposite scaffolds. The viscosity of all ink formulations was greater in the presence of inorganic nanoparticles as shear thinning occurred with increased shear rate. Hydrogel nanocomposites presented predominantly elastic rather than viscous behavior as the materials were crosslinked which led to improved mechanical properties. The inclusion of nanoclays in the biopolymeric matrix limited hydrogel swelling due the physical barrier effect but also because of the supplementary crosslinks induced by the clay layers. The distribution of inorganic filler within the GelMA-based hydrogels led to higher porosities as a consequence of their interaction with the biopolymeric ink. The present study could be useful for the development of soft nanomaterials foreseen for the additive manufacturing of customized implants for tissue engineering.
本研究探讨了使用基于生物材料的纳米复合墨水获得3D打印复合结构的可能性。生物聚合物基质由甲基丙烯酸化明胶（GelMA）组成。添加了几种类型的纳米粘土作为无机组分。我们的目的是研究粘土类型对墨水配方流变行为的影响，并确定所得交联水凝胶基纳米材料的形态和结构特性。此外，通过加入纳米粘土，我们的目标是提高纳米复合支架的可打印性和形状保真度。随着剪切速率增加出现剪切变稀现象，所有墨水配方在存在无机纳米颗粒时粘度更大。由于材料发生交联，水凝胶纳米复合材料主要呈现弹性而非粘性行为，这导致机械性能得到改善。在生物聚合物基质中加入纳米粘土限制了水凝胶的膨胀，这是由于物理屏障效应，也是因为粘土层诱导产生了额外的交联。无机填料在基于GelMA的水凝胶中的分布因其与生物聚合物墨水的相互作用导致了更高的孔隙率。本研究对于开发用于组织工程定制植入物增材制造的软纳米材料可能有用。
