Complex three-dimensional (3D) structures in biology (e.g., cytoskeletal webs, neural circuits, and vasculature networks) form naturally to provide essential functions in even the most basic forms of life. Compelling opportunities exist for analogous 3D architectures in human-made devices, but design options are constrained by existing capabilities in materials growth and assembly. We report routes to previously inaccessible classes of 3D constructs in advanced materials, including device-grade silicon. The schemes involve geometric transformation of 2D micro/nanostructures into extended 3D layouts by compressive buckling. Demonstrations include experimental and theoretical studies of more than 40 representative geometries, from single and multiple helices, toroids, and conical spirals to structures that resemble spherical baskets, cuboid cages, starbursts, flowers, scaffolds, fences, and frameworks, each with single- and/or multiple-level configurations.

SignificanceExploiting advanced 3D designs in micro/nanomanufacturing inspires potential applications in various fields including biomedical engineering, metamaterials, electronics, electromechanical components, and many others. The results presented here provide enabling concepts in an area of broad, current interest to the materials community––strategies for forming sophisticated 3D micro/nanostructures and means for using them in guiding the growth of synthetic materials and biological systems. These ideas offer qualitatively differentiated capabilities compared with those available from more traditional methodologies in 3D printing, multiphoton lithography, and stress-induced bending––the result enables access to both active and passive 3D mesostructures in state-of-the-art materials, as freestanding systems or integrated with nearly any type of supporting substrate.

Materials chemistries for hydrogel scaffolds that are capable of programming temporal (4D) attributes of cellular decision‐making in supported 3D microcultures are described. The scaffolds are fabricated using direct‐ink writing (DIW)—a 3D‐printing technique using extrusion to pattern scaffolds at biologically relevant diameters (≤ 100 µm). Herein, DIW is exploited to variously incorporate a rheological nanoclay, Laponite XLG (LAP), into 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)‐based hydrogels—printing the LAP–HEMA (LH) composites as functional modifiers within otherwise unmodified 2D and 3D HEMA microstructures. The nanoclay‐modified domains, when tested as thin films, require no activating (e.g., protein) treatments to promote robust growth compliances that direct the spatial attachment of fibroblast (3T3) and preosteoblast (E1) cells, fostering for the latter a capacity to direct long‐term osteodifferentiation. Cell‐to‐gel interfacial morphologies and cellular motility are analyzed with spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM). Through combination of HEMA and LH gels, high‐resolution DIW of a nanocomposite ink (UniH) that translates organizationally dynamic attributes seen with 2D gels into dentition‐mimetic 3D scaffolds is demonstrated. These analyses confirm that the underlying materials chemistry and geometry of hydrogel nanocomposites are capable of directing cellular attachment and temporal development within 3D microcultures—a useful material system for the 4D patterning of hydrogel scaffolds.

Understanding and controlling the interactions occurring between cells and engineered materials are central challenges towards progress in the development of biomedical devices. In this work, we describe materials for direct ink writing (DIW), an extrusion-based type of 3D printing, that embed a custom synthetic protein (RGD-PDL) within the microfilaments of 3D-hydrogel scaffolds to modify these interactions and differentially direct tissue-level organization of complex cell populations in vitro. The RGD-PDL is synthesized by modifying poly-D-lysine (PDL) to varying extents with peptides containing the integrin-binding motif Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD). Compositional gradients of the RGD-PDL presented by both patterned and thin-film poly-(2-hydroxyethyl) methacrylate (pHEMA) substrates allow the patterning of cell-growth compliance in a grayscale form. The surface chemistry-dependent guidance of cell growth on the RGD-PDL-modified pHEMA materials is demonstrated using a model NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell line. The formation of a more complex cellular system — organotypic primary murine dorsal root ganglion (DRG) – in culture is also achieved on these scaffolds, where distinctive forms of cell growth and migration guidance are seen depending on their RGD-PDL content and topography. This experimental platform for the study of physicochemical factors on the formation and the reorganization of organotypic cultures offers useful capabilities for studies in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics.

3D hydrogel scaffolds are widely used in cellular microcultures and tissue engineering. Using direct ink writing, microperiodic poly(2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate) (pHEMA) scaffolds are created that are then printed, cured, and modified by absorbing 30 kDa protein poly-l-lysine (PLL) to render them biocompliant in model NIH/3T3 fibroblast and MC3T3-E1 preosteoblast cell cultures. Spatial light interference microscopy (SLIM) live cell imaging studies are carried out to quantify cellular motilities for each cell type, substrate, and surface treatment of interest. 3D scaffold mechanics is investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), while their absorption kinetics are determined by confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) for a series of hydrated hydrogel films prepared from prepolymers with different homopolymer-to-monomer (Mr ) ratios. The observations reveal that the inks with higher Mr values yield relatively more open-mesh gels due to a lower degree of entanglement. The biocompatibility of printed hydrogel scaffolds can be controlled by both PLL content and hydrogel mesh properties.