Hydrogels hold much promise for 3-D printing of functional living materials, however challenges remain in tailoring mechanical robustness as well as biological performance. In addressing this challenge, we describe the modular synthesis of functional hydrogels from multi-arm copolypeptide stars. Physical crosslinking due to self-assembly of these star block copolymers gives mechanical stability during extrusion printing and the selective incorporation of methacrylate units allows for subsequent photocrosslinking to occur under biocompatible conditions. This permits direct ink write (DIW) printing of bacteria-based mixtures leading to 3D objects with high fidelity and excellent bacterial viability. This translation of molecular structure to network properties highlights the versatility of these polypeptide hydrogel systems with the combination of writable structures and biological activity illustrating the future potential of these 3D printed biocomposites.

Fabrication of functional hydrogels using controlled polymerization and light

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