3D printing also known as additive manufacturing , is the leading rapid prototyping technology for fabricating highly defined complex 3D constructs.. Specifically, extrusion-based 3D printing is widely used due to its simple printing mechanism and high economic value. Direct ink writing is (DIW) is one form of extrusion-based 3D printing technique and has attracted much attention, because of its accuracy, efficiency and material versatility. DIW has not only been applied to fabricate complex 3D structures, but also been used for materials development, such as fabrication of heterogeneous structures, materials with enhanced properties due to strain-induced alignment, and direct-write assembly. Here, we applied direct-write assembly for the formation of 3D printable pure PEDOT:PSS hydrogels. The resulting structures exhibited high conductivity, fine resolution, stable electrochemical properties and tunable mechanical properties. We developed a simple post-processing method that led to strong and durable adhesion of PEDOT:PSS onto various polymeric substrates under physiological conditions. This technology enables the rapid prototyping of organic-based bioelectronics, as demonstrated by printing a cortex-wide neural interface. This bioelectronic device was used for intracranial electrical stimulation and simultaneous optical monitoring of mouse brain activity with wide field calcium imaging.

3D printed PEDOT:PSS hydrogels and their use for bioelectronics

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.