Issue 3, 2020

A versatile biomaterial ink platform for the melt electrowriting of chemically-crosslinked hydrogels

Abstract

In this study, we designed a novel biomaterial ink platform based on hydrophilic poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazine) (PEtOzi) specifically for melt electrowriting (MEW). This material crosslinks spontaneously after processing via dynamic Diels–Alder click chemistry. These direct-written microperiodic structures rapidly swell in water to yield thermoreversible hydrogels. These hydrogels are robust enough for repeated aspiration and ejection through a cannula without structural damage, despite their high water content of 84%. Moreover, the scaffolds retain functional groups for modification using click chemistry and therefore can be readily functionalized as demonstrated using fluorophores and peptides to facilitate visualization and cell attachment. The PEtOzi hydrogel developed here is compatible with confocal imaging and staining protocols for cells. In summary, an advanced material platform based on PEtOzi is reported that is compatible with MEW and results in functionalizable chemically crosslinked microperiodic hydrogels.

Graphical abstract: A versatile biomaterial ink platform for the melt electrowriting of chemically-crosslinked hydrogels

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
17 Okt. 2019
Accepted
02 Dec. 2019
First published
02 Dec. 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Horiz., 2020,7, 928-933

A versatile biomaterial ink platform for the melt electrowriting of chemically-crosslinked hydrogels

D. Nahm, F. Weigl, N. Schaefer, A. Sancho, A. Frank, J. Groll, C. Villmann, H. Schmidt, P. D. Dalton and R. Luxenhofer, Mater. Horiz., 2020, 7, 928 DOI: 10.1039/C9MH01654F

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