Tunable temperature‐ and shear‐responsive hydrogels based on poly(alkyl glycidyl ether)s

We describe the synthesis, characterization and direct‐write 3D printing of triblock copolymer hydrogels that have a tunable response to temperature and shear stress. In aqueous solutions, these polymers utilize the temperature‐dependent self‐association of poly(alkyl glycidyl ether) ‘A’ blocks and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polymer international 2019-07, Vol.68 (7), p.1238-1246
Main Authors: Fellin, Christopher R, Adelmund, Steven M, Karis, Dylan G, Shafranek, Ryan T, Ono, Robert J, Martin, Cecilia G, Johnston, Trevor G, DeForest, Cole A, Nelson, Alshakim
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3-D printers
additive manufacturing
Aqueous solutions
Biocompatibility
Block copolymers
Cell viability
Crosslinking
cytocompatibility
Ethylene oxide
hydrogel
Hydrogels
lower critical solution temperature
Organic chemistry
Polyethylene oxide
Polymers
Rheological properties
Shear stress
shear‐thinning
Sol-gel processes
Temperature dependence
Temperature effects
Thinning
Three dimensional printing
Tissue engineering
triblock copolymer
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Summary:We describe the synthesis, characterization and direct‐write 3D printing of triblock copolymer hydrogels that have a tunable response to temperature and shear stress. In aqueous solutions, these polymers utilize the temperature‐dependent self‐association of poly(alkyl glycidyl ether) ‘A’ blocks and a central poly(ethylene oxide) segment to create a physically crosslinked three‐dimensional network. The temperature response of these hydrogels was dependent upon composition, chain length and concentration of the ‘A’ block in the copolymer. Rheological experiments confirmed the existence of sol–gel transitions and the shear‐thinning behavior of the hydrogels. The temperature‐ and shear‐responsive properties enabled direct‐write 3D printing of complex objects with high fidelity. Hydrogel cytocompatibility was also confirmed by incorporating HeLa cells into select hydrogels resulting in high viabilities over 24 h. The tunable temperature response and innate shear‐thinning properties of these hydrogels, coupled with encouraging cell viability results, present an attractive opportunity for additive manufacturing and tissue engineering applications. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry A tunable ABA poly(alkyl glycidyl ether)‐based triblock copolymer hydrogel platform is reported, capable of reversible temperature‐ and shear‐responsive behavior.
ISSN:0959-8103
1097-0126
DOI:10.1002/pi.5716