<p class="MsoNormal">Accurate biomimicry of the mechanical properties of native tissues is critical for the manufacturing of effective artificial tissue scaffolds. Our work focuses on establishing manufacturing methods for controlling the mechanical properties of artificial tissue scaffolds in a precise fashion. To this end, we introduce a novel tri-component hydrogel consisting of sodium alginate (SA), gelatin (GEL) and gum Arabic (GA). We demonstrate here that SA-GEL-GA scaffolds exhibit mechanical properties that can be varied in a controlled fashion by tuning chemical crosslinking process. SA-GEL-GA bioinks exhibit temperature dependent rheology conducive to 3D printing of high-resolution structures. As such, using a 3D bioprinter equipped with a heated printhead and cooled printbed, high resolution scaffolds with a 250 mm filament size were printed with a 100 mm metal nozzle. The effects of the infill density and crosslinking duration on the compressive modulus of the scaffolds were studied by performing uniaxial compression tests. By varying the covalent crosslinking immersion duration as well as the pore size, a compressive elastic modulus range of 50-250 kPa was achieved.</p>

3d Printed Sa-Gel-Ga Scaffolds With Tunable Mechanical Properties

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/MSEC/MSEC2021/volume/85062

2021 International Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference (MSEC2021)

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