Jammed Microgel Inks for 3D Printing Applications

• Published in: Advanced science 2019-01, Vol.6 (1), p.1801076-n/a
• Main Authors: Highley, Christopher B., Song, Kwang Hoon, Daly, Andrew C., Burdick, Jason A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; biomaterials; Communication; Communications; Cooling; Hydrogels; inks; microgels; Polymerization; Polymers; Rheology; Statistical analysis; Viscosity; Yield stress
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.201801076

3D printing involves the development of inks that exhibit the requisite properties for both printing and the intended application. In bioprinting, these inks are often hydrogels with controlled rheological properties that can be stabilized after deposition. Here, an alternate approach is developed where the ink is composed exclusively of jammed microgels, which are designed to incorporate a range of properties through microgel design (e.g., composition, size) and through the mixing of microgels. The jammed microgel inks are shear‐thinning to permit flow and rapidly recover upon deposition, including on surfaces or when deposited in 3D within hydrogel supports, and can be further stabilized with secondary cross‐linking. This platform allows the use of microgels engineered from various materials (e.g., thiol‐ene cross‐linked hyaluronic acid (HA), photo‐cross‐linked poly(ethylene glycol), thermo‐sensitive agarose) and that incorporate cells, where the jamming process and printing do not decrease cell viability. The versatility of this particle‐based approach opens up numerous potential biomedical applications through the printing of a more diverse set of inks. Microgels are jammed to formulate inks useful for 3D printing. Microgels are fabricated on microfluidic devices and jammed to form shear‐thinning solids where individual microgels can be designed with various chemical compositions or to contain cells. The microgel inks can be printed onto surfaces or into 3D hydrogels to produce diverse structures.