scholarly journals 3D Printable Electrically Conductive Hydrogel Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications: A Review

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 474
Author(s):  
Sandya Shiranthi Athukorala ◽  
Tuan Sang Tran ◽  
Rajkamal Balu ◽  
Vi Khanh Truong ◽  
James Chapman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Hybrid Methods ◽  
Liquid Metals ◽  
Electrically Conductive ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Hydrogel Scaffolds ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Conductive Fillers ◽  
Conductive Hydrogels

Electrically conductive hydrogels (ECHs), an emerging class of biomaterials, have garnered tremendous attention due to their potential for a wide variety of biomedical applications, from tissue-engineered scaffolds to smart bioelectronics. Along with the development of new hydrogel systems, 3D printing of such ECHs is one of the most advanced approaches towards rapid fabrication of future biomedical implants and devices with versatile designs and tuneable functionalities. In this review, an overview of the state-of-the-art 3D printed ECHs comprising conductive polymers (polythiophene, polyaniline and polypyrrole) and/or conductive fillers (graphene, MXenes and liquid metals) is provided, with an insight into mechanisms of electrical conductivity and design considerations for tuneable physiochemical properties and biocompatibility. Recent advances in the formulation of 3D printable bioinks and their practical applications are discussed; current challenges and limitations of 3D printing of ECHs are identified; new 3D printing-based hybrid methods for selective deposition and fabrication of controlled nanostructures are highlighted; and finally, future directions are proposed.

scholarly journals DLP 3D Printing Meets Lignocellulosic Biopolymers: Carboxymethyl Cellulose Inks for 3D Biocompatible Hydrogels

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Melilli ◽  
Irene Carmagnola ◽  
Chiara Tonda-Turo ◽  
Fabrizio Pirri ◽  
Gianluca Ciardelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Carboxymethyl Cellulose ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Digital Light Processing ◽  
Chemically Modified ◽  
Significant Step ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Biomedical Field

The development of new bio-based inks is a stringent request for the expansion of additive manufacturing towards the development of 3D-printed biocompatible hydrogels. Herein, methacrylated carboxymethyl cellulose (M-CMC) is investigated as a bio-based photocurable ink for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing. CMC is chemically modified using methacrylic anhydride. Successful methacrylation is confirmed by 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. Aqueous formulations based on M-CMC/lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) photoinitiator and M-CMC/Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)/LAP show high photoreactivity upon UV irradiation as confirmed by photorheology and FTIR. The same formulations can be easily 3D-printed through a DLP apparatus to produce 3D shaped hydrogels with excellent swelling ability and mechanical properties. Envisaging the application of the hydrogels in the biomedical field, cytotoxicity is also evaluated. The light-induced printing of cellulose-based hydrogels represents a significant step forward in the production of new DLP inks suitable for biomedical applications.

scholarly journals Development of Soft sEMG Sensing Structures Using 3D-Printing Technologies

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 4292
Author(s):  
Gerjan Wolterink ◽  
Pedro Dias ◽  
Remco G. P. Sanders ◽  
Frodo Muijzer ◽  
Bert-Jan van Beijnum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Recognition Algorithm ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Variable Level ◽  
Processing Step ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Emg Electrodes

3D printing of soft EMG sensing structures enables the creation of personalized sensing structures that can be potentially integrated in prosthetic, assistive and other devices. We developed and characterized flexible carbon-black doped TPU-based sEMG sensing structures. The structures are directly 3D-printed without the need for an additional post-processing step using a low-cost, consumer grade multi-material FDM printer. A comparison between the gold standard Ag/AgCl gel electrodes and the 3D-printed EMG electrodes with a comparable contact area shows that there is no significant difference in the EMG signals’ amplitude. The sensors are capable of distinguishing a variable level of muscle activity of the biceps brachii. Furthermore, as a proof of principle, sEMG data of a 3D-printed 8-electrode band are analyzed using a patten recognition algorithm to recognize hand gestures. This work shows that 3D-printed sEMG electrodes have great potential in practical applications.

Properties and applications of electrically conductive thermoplastics for additive manufacturing of sensors

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Hampel ◽  
Samuel Monshausen ◽  
Meinhard Schilling
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Fused Deposition Modeling ◽  
Electrical Conductance ◽  
Electrically Conductive ◽  
Fused Deposition ◽  
Printing Technique ◽  
Deposition Modeling ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
3D Printing Technique ◽  
Printing Parameters

AbstractIn consequence of the growing diversity of materials in the fused deposition modeling 3D printing technique, electrically conductive materials are commercially available. In this work two filaments based on thermoplastics filled with carbon or metal nanoparticles are analyzed in terms of their electrical conductance. The printing parameters to process the materials with the 3D printer are optimized with the design of experiments (DoE) method. A model to calculate the resistance of such 3D printed structures is presented and a demonstrator as a proof of concept was 3D printed based on these results. In addition, 3D printing of capacitors is investigated.

scholarly journals Intelligent Hydrogel Actuators With Controllable Deformations and Movements

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Zhao ◽  
Zhenglei Yu ◽  
Yunhong Liang ◽  
Lei Ren ◽  
Luquan Ren
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Response Rate ◽  
Structure Design ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Intelligent Hydrogel

Near infrared laser- (NIR-) driven intelligent hydrogel actuator systems including printable N-isopropylacrylamide- (NIPAm-) nanosized synthetic hectorite clay-nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) hydrogels and NIPAm-4-hydroxybutyl acrylate- (4HBA-) NFC hydrogels with a high response rate were prepared via three-dimensional (3D) printing and hydrothermal synthesis, respectively. The addition of NFC was beneficial to the improvement in rheology. The 3D printed intelligent hydrogel actuators with a structure pattern of Model I and Model II exhibited the saddle and inverted saddle deformations, respectively, to prove the validity of 3D printing. In order to improve the response rate and enrich movement patterns, the hydrothermal synthesized intelligent hydrogel actuators were prepared on the base of the 3D printed intelligent hydrogel compositions. The addition of NFC maintained the controllable NIR response. Based on a wedge-shaped design, the hydrothermal synthesized intelligent hydrogel pushed the resin ball with weight of 130 mg forward 8 mm in 39 s. By changing the torque values of a hydrogel in a different direction, the actuator realized controllable continuous rollover movement. Attributed to the longilineal shape, the intelligent hydrogel actuator reached an effective displacement of 20 mm in 10 s via a forward movement. The characteristics and structure design of a hydrogel material significantly realized multiple controllable functional four-dimensional (4D) printed deformations and movements. The combination of advantages of the 3D printed and hydrothermal synthesized intelligent hydrogels provided a new direction of development and abundant material candidates for the practical applications of 4D printing in soft robot, information sensing, and health engineering.

Engineering 3D-printed core-shell hydrogel scaffolds reinforced with hybrid hydroxyapatite/polycaprolactone nanoparticles for in vivo bone regeneration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma Essam El-Habashy ◽  
Amal ElKamel ◽  
Marwa Essawy ◽  
Elsayeda-Zeinab Abdelfattah ◽  
Hoda M Eltaher
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Bone Regeneration ◽  
Composite Hydrogel ◽  
Core Shell ◽  
Hydrogel Scaffolds ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Indispensable Tool

The versatility of 3D printing has rendered it an indispensable tool for the fabrication of composite hydrogel scaffolds, offering bone biomimetic features through inorganic and biopolymeric components as promising platforms...

scholarly journals 3D printing of graphene-based polymeric nanocomposites for biomedical applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magda Silva ◽  
Isabel S. Pinho ◽  
José A. Covas ◽  
Natália M. Alves ◽  
Maria C. Paiva
Keyword(s):  
Additive Manufacturing ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Polymeric Nanocomposites ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Graphene Derivatives ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Biomedical Field ◽  
Manufacturing Techniques

AbstractAdditive manufacturing techniques established a new paradigm in the manufacture of composite materials providing a simple solution to build complex, custom designed shapes. In the biomedical field, 3D printing enabled the production of scaffolds with patient-specific requirements, controlling product architecture and microstructure, and have been proposed to regenerate a variety of tissues such as bone, cartilage, or the nervous system. Polymers reinforced with graphene or graphene derivatives have demonstrated potential interest for applications that require electrical and mechanical properties as well as enhanced cell response, presenting increasing interest for applications in the biomedical field. The present review focuses on graphene-based polymer nanocomposites developed for additive manufacturing fabrication, provides an overview of the manufacturing techniques available to reach the different biomedical applications, and summarizes relevant results obtained with 3D printed graphene/polymer scaffolds and biosensors.

scholarly journals A self-healing, adaptive and conductive polymer composite ink for 3D printing of gas sensors

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (23) ◽  
pp. 6200-6207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongfei Wu ◽  
Euan Gray ◽  
Biqiong Chen
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Polymer Composite ◽  
Gas Sensors ◽  
Conductive Polymer ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Electrically Conductive ◽  
Conductive Polymer Composite ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Conductive Properties

A graphene/polyborosiloxane composite exhibited self-healing, adaptive and electrically conductive properties and could be 3D printed into gas sensors.

scholarly journals 3D Printed Sensors for Biomedical Applications: A Review

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Han ◽  
Sudip Kundu ◽  
Anindya Nag ◽  
Yongzhao Xu
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Biomedical Applications ◽  
Market Survey ◽  
Healthcare Applications ◽  
Biomedical Sensing ◽  
Printed Sensors ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Work Done ◽  
Printing Techniques

This paper showcases a substantial review on some of the significant work done on 3D printing of sensors for biomedical applications. The importance of 3D printing techniques has bloomed in the sensing world due to their essential advantages of quick fabrication, easy accessibility, processing of varied materials and sustainability. Along with the introduction of the necessity and influence of 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of sensors for different healthcare applications, the paper explains the individual methodologies used to develop sensing prototypes. Six different 3D printing techniques have been explained in the manuscript, followed by drawing a comparison between them in terms of their advantages, disadvantages, materials being processed, resolution, repeatability, accuracy and applications. Finally, a conclusion of the paper is provided with some of the challenges of the current 3D printing techniques about the developed sensing prototypes, their corresponding remedial solutions and a market survey determining the expenditure on 3D printing for biomedical sensing prototypes.

scholarly journals Ultrasensitive Wearable Strain Sensors of 3D Printing Tough and Conductive Hydrogels

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jilong Wang ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Siheng Su ◽  
Junhua Wei ◽  
Syed Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Printing ◽  
Calcium Ions ◽  
Strain Sensors ◽  
Wearable Electronics ◽  
Ionic Conductors ◽  
Hydrogel Film ◽  
Excess Calcium ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Conductive Hydrogels ◽  
Human Motions

In this study, tough and conductive hydrogels were printed by 3D printing method. The combination of thermo-responsive agar and ionic-responsive alginate can highly improve the shape fidelity. With addition of agar, ink viscosity was enhanced, further improving its rheological characteristics for a precise printing. After printing, the printed construct was cured via free radical polymerization, and alginate was crosslinked by calcium ions. Most importantly, with calcium crosslinking of alginate, mechanical properties of 3D printed hydrogels are greatly improved. Furthermore, these 3D printed hydrogels can serve as ionic conductors, because hydrogels contain large amounts of water that dissolve excess calcium ions. A wearable resistive strain sensor that can quickly and precisely detect human motions like finger bending was fabricated by a 3D printed hydrogel film. These results demonstrate that the conductive, transparent, and stretchable hydrogels are promising candidates as soft wearable electronics for healthcare, robotics and entertainment.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document