Shoushtari Zadeh Naseri Aida, Fay Cormac, Nattestad Andrew, Ryder Gregory, Sayyar Sepidar, Yue Zhilian, Liu Xiao, Officer David L, Wallace Gordon G
Intelligent Polymer Research Institute and ARC Center of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
SMART Infrastructure Facility, Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
3D Print Addit Manuf. 2024 Apr 1;11(2):447-459. doi: 10.1089/3dp.2022.0169. Epub 2024 Apr 16.
In the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, developing cytocompatible 3D conductive scaffolds that mimic the native extracellular matrix is crucial for the engineering of excitable cells and tissues. In this study, a custom cryogenic extrusion 3D printer was developed, which afforded control over both the ink and printing surface temperatures. Using this approach, aqueous inks were printed into well-defined layers with high precision. A conductive hydrogel ink was developed from chitosan (CS) and edge-functionalised expanded graphene (EFXG). Different EFXG:CS ratios (between 60:40 and 80:20) were evaluated to determine both conductivity and printability. Using the novel customized cryogenic 3D printer, conductive structures of between 2 and 20 layers were produced, with feature sizes as small as 200 μm. The printed structures are mechanically robust and are electrically conducting. The highest Young's modulus and conductivity in a hydrated state were 2.6 MPa and ∼45 S/m, respectively. Cytocompatibility experiments reveal that the developed material supports NSC-34 mouse motor neuron-like cells in terms of viability, attachment, and proliferation. The distinctive mechanical and electrical properties of the 3D-printed structures would make them good candidates for the engineering of 3D-structured excitable cells. Moreover, this novel printing setup can be used to print other hydrogel-based inks with high precision and resolution.
在组织工程和再生医学领域,开发模仿天然细胞外基质的细胞相容性3D导电支架对于可兴奋细胞和组织的工程化至关重要。在本研究中,开发了一种定制的低温挤压3D打印机,它能够控制墨水和打印表面的温度。使用这种方法,水性墨水能够高精度地打印成定义明确的层。一种由壳聚糖(CS)和边缘功能化膨胀石墨烯(EFXG)制成的导电水凝胶墨水被开发出来。评估了不同的EFXG:CS比例(60:40至80:20之间)以确定导电性和可打印性。使用新型定制低温3D打印机,制作出了2至20层的导电结构,特征尺寸小至200μm。打印结构机械坚固且导电。水合状态下的最高杨氏模量和电导率分别为2.6MPa和约45S/m。细胞相容性实验表明,所开发的材料在活力、附着和增殖方面支持NSC - 34小鼠运动神经元样细胞。3D打印结构独特的机械和电学性能使其成为3D结构可兴奋细胞工程的良好候选材料。此外,这种新型打印装置可用于高精度和高分辨率地打印其他基于水凝胶的墨水。