3D Printable Electrically Conductive Hydrogel Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications: A Review

Athukorala, Sandya Shiranthi; Tran, Tuan Sang; Balu, Rajkamal; Truong, Vi Khanh; Chapman, James; Dutta, Naba K.; Choudhury, Namita Roy

doi:10.3390/polym13030474

Cited by 79 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…All other cell-free materials used in soft tissue printing are predominantly referred to as "biomaterials" [13]. A large number of works deal in detail with the individual materials available [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Nevertheless, a brief overview is necessary for further understanding of tissue engineering.…”

Section: Bioinksmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printing for Soft Tissue Regeneration and Applications in Medicine

et al. 2021

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The use of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies is a relatively young research area in modern medicine. This technology offers a fast and effective way of producing implants, tissues, or entire organs individually adapted to the needs of a patient. Today, a large number of different 3D printing technologies with individual application areas are available. This review is intended to provide a general overview of these various printing technologies and their function for medical use. For this purpose, the design and functionality of the different applications are presented and their individual strengths and weaknesses are explained. Where possible, previous studies using the respective technologies in the field of tissue engineering are briefly summarized.

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Section: Bioinksmentioning

confidence: 99%

3D Printing for Soft Tissue Regeneration and Applications in Medicine

et al. 2021

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“…A strong understanding of the interaction between cells and conductive materials is indispensable in researching smart biomaterials for their application in TE. Recently, electrically conductive hydrogels have been fabricated and designed using a 3D printing method, which includes fused deposition modelling (FDM), direct ink writing (DIW), inkjet printing, and stereolithography (SLA) methods [ 44 ]. For example, conductive polymer carbon nanocomposites as the main thermoplastic filament materials for the FDM method have been employed as emerging electrochemical sensing devices [ 45 ].…”

Section: Techniques In Fabricating Electrically Conductive Scaffoldsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advocating Electrically Conductive Scaffolds with Low Immunogenicity for Biomedical Applications: A Review

et al. 2021

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Scaffolds support and promote the formation of new functional tissues through cellular interactions with living cells. Various types of scaffolds have found their way into biomedical science, particularly in tissue engineering. Scaffolds with a superior tissue regenerative capacity must be biocompatible and biodegradable, and must possess excellent functionality and bioactivity. The different polymers that are used in fabricating scaffolds can influence these parameters. Polysaccharide-based polymers, such as collagen and chitosan, exhibit exceptional biocompatibility and biodegradability, while the degradability of synthetic polymers can be improved using chemical modifications. However, these modifications require multiple steps of chemical reactions to be carried out, which could potentially compromise the end product’s biosafety. At present, conducting polymers, such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS), polyaniline, and polypyrrole, are often incorporated into matrix scaffolds to produce electrically conductive scaffold composites. However, this will reduce the biodegradability rate of scaffolds and, therefore, agitate their biocompatibility. This article discusses the current trends in fabricating electrically conductive scaffolds, and provides some insight regarding how their immunogenicity performance can be interlinked with their physical and biodegradability properties.

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“…Among many additive manufacturing techniques, extrusion-based 3D bioprinting is especially advantageous for fabricating tissue-regenerating scaffolds using a broad range of biocompatible materials [30]. This technology is particularly interesting for printing 3D tissue constructs that can be used for tissue regeneration purposes because it offers solid cellladen freeform scaffolds with tailorable mechanical properties [31,32].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid 3D Printing of Advanced Hydrogel-Based Wound Dressings with Tailorable Properties

et al. 2021

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Despite the extensive utilization of polysaccharide hydrogels in regenerative medicine, current fabrication methods fail to produce mechanically stable scaffolds using only hydrogels. The recently developed hybrid extrusion-based bioprinting process promises to resolve these current issues by facilitating the simultaneous printing of stiff thermoplastic polymers and softer hydrogels at different temperatures. Using layer-by-layer deposition, mechanically advantageous scaffolds can be produced by integrating the softer hydrogel matrix into a stiffer synthetic framework. This work demonstrates the fabrication of hybrid hydrogel-thermoplastic polymer scaffolds with tunable structural and chemical properties for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Through an alternating deposition of polycaprolactone and alginate/carboxymethylcellulose gel strands, scaffolds with the desired architecture (e.g., filament thickness, pore size, macro-/microporosity), and rheological characteristics (e.g., swelling capacity, degradation rate, and wettability) were prepared. The hybrid fabrication approach allows the fine-tuning of wettability (approx. 50–75°), swelling (approx. 0–20× increased mass), degradability (approx. 2–30+ days), and mechanical strength (approx. 0.2–11 MPa) in the range between pure hydrogels and pure thermoplastic polymers, while providing a gradient of surface properties and good biocompatibility. The controlled degradability and permeability of the hydrogel component may also enable controlled drug delivery. Our work shows that the novel hybrid hydrogel-thermoplastic scaffolds with adjustable characteristics have immense potential for tissue engineering and can serve as templates for developing novel wound dressings.

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3D Printable Electrically Conductive Hydrogel Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications: A Review

Cited by 79 publications

References 76 publications

3D Printing for Soft Tissue Regeneration and Applications in Medicine

3D Printing for Soft Tissue Regeneration and Applications in Medicine

Advocating Electrically Conductive Scaffolds with Low Immunogenicity for Biomedical Applications: A Review

Hybrid 3D Printing of Advanced Hydrogel-Based Wound Dressings with Tailorable Properties

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