Polymers for Melt Electrowriting

Kade, Juliane C.; Dalton, Paul D.

doi:10.1002/adhm.202001232

Cited by 151 publications

(172 citation statements)

References 137 publications

(290 reference statements)

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“…As distance s increases, the electric field strength ( ) decreases accordingly. On average, a voltage of 7 -7.5 kV is reported for MEW-printing of PCL [24]. At a continuous applied voltage of 7.5…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A deeper insight into the influence of the electric field densities in Melt-Electrowriting: Printing in the 4th Dimension

Nairn¹,

orkeenan@tcd.ie²,

sahau@tcd.ie³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Defined ordered structures for biomaterials and tissue engineering applications can be achieved by a variety of techniques, one of which includes the electrohydrodynamic (EHD)-based application of melt electrowriting (MEW), the extrusion of a molten polymer filament under pressure across a defined electric field. In this study, we investigate how to translate small fibremeshes which are usually formed on flat surfaces, to curved contours that would have more applicability to human anatomical structures. By modelling the electric field strength associated with the MEW process, we found that incorporation of a non conductive three-dimensional (3D) custom printed mould on the conductive collector plate offers the ability to accurately print patterns on non-flat surfaces successfully. Importantly, while the electric field strength is a constant in the MEW process; the electrostatic behaviour of the deposited polymer has the greatest impact on the accuracy of fibre patterning and stacking. Consequently, controlled fibre deposition was exhibited, provided that a constant electrical field strength and a continuous vertical distance between the nozzle and the mould is maintained.Overall, this study establishes the groundwork to support further developments in MEW technologies, from flat to anatomically relevant 3D structures in the fields of regenerative medicine and biofabrication.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A deeper insight into the influence of the electric field densities in Melt-Electrowriting: Printing in the 4th Dimension

Nairn¹,

orkeenan@tcd.ie²,

sahau@tcd.ie³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…The mechanical performance of the composite may also depend on the fiber-matrix adhesion and matrix properties which will deserve further investigations. Instability-assisted 3D printing [27,28,45,46], electrospinning [47][48][49] and melt electrowriting [50,51] provide the opportunity for the miniaturization of the microstructured fiber to accommodate different indenter sizes in real-world applications. The transparency of the composite materials can be improved by matching the refractive indexes of the fiber and the elastomer matrix for applications that require high optical transparency [26].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toughening elastomers via microstructured thermoplastic fibers with sacrificial bonds and hidden lengths

Zou¹,

Therriault²,

Gosselin³

2021

Extreme Mechanics Letters

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Soft materials capable of large inelastic deformation play an essential role in highperformance nacre-inspired architectured materials with a combination of stiffness, strength and toughness. The rigid "building blocks" made from glass or ceramic in these architectured materials lack inelastic deformation capabilities and thus rely on the soft interface material that bonds together these building blocks to achieve large deformation and high toughness. Here, we demonstrate the concept of achieving large inelastic deformation and high energy dissipation in soft materials by embedding microstructured thermoplastic fibers with sacrificial bonds and hidden lengths in a widely used elastomer. The microstructured fibers are fabricated by harnessing the fluid-mechanical instability of a molten polycarbonate (PC) thread on a commercial 3D printer. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) resin is infiltrated around the fibers, creating a soft composite after curing. The failure mechanism and damage tolerance of the composite are analyzed through fracture tests. The high energy dissipation is found to be related to the multiple fracture events of both the sacrificial bonds and elastomer matrix. Combining the microstructured fibers and straight fibers in the elastomer composite results in a ~ 17 times increase in stiffness and a ~ 7 times increase in total energy to failure compared to the neat elastomer. Our findings in applying the

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“…Large sheets of cells could be seen extending or migrating across the scaffold following the trajectory of the supporting walls for several millimeters (Figure 4D,E; white arrows) as well as that of the suspended fibers for distances of ≈1 mm (Figure 4D; black arrows). The cell-cell adhesion between Schwann cells migrating along the suspended PCL fibers, as well as along the supporting walls, resulted in the appearance of whorls of migrating cells, forming (6,12,18, and 24 fiber layers corresponding to 80, 160, 240, and 320 µm respectively), while an additional MEW fiber on the wall (false-colored green) locks the upper suspended fiber into place. B) Suspended fibers intersecting the fiber wall at 45°.…”

Section: Schwann Cell Migration From Explanted Dorsal Root Gangliamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed reviews on the MEW technology can be found elsewhere. [5,6] To date, MEW scaffolds have been primarily made with a "box-pore" morphology, due to simple programming. On closer inspection for certain scaffold morphologies, there are several instances where suspended fibers spontaneously occur within these scaffolds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design of Suspended Melt Electrowritten Fiber Arrays for Schwann Cell Migration and Neurite Outgrowth

Hrynevich

Achenbach

Jüngst

et al. 2021

Macromolecular Bioscience

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In this study, well-defined, 3D arrays of air-suspended melt electrowritten fibers are made from medical grade poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL). Low processing temperatures, lower voltages, lower ambient temperature, increased collector distance, and high collector speeds all aid to direct-write suspended fibers that can span gaps of several millimeters between support structures. Such processing parameters are quantitatively determined using a "wedge-design" melt electrowritten test frame to identify the conditions that increase the suspension probability of long-distance fibers. All the measured parameters impact the probability that a fiber is suspended over multimillimeter distances. The height of the suspended fibers can be controlled by a concurrently fabricated fiber wall and the 3D suspended PCL fiber arrays investigated with early post-natal mouse dorsal root ganglion explants. The resulting Schwann cell and neurite outgrowth extends substantial distances by 21 d, following the orientation of the suspended fibers and the supporting walls, often generating circular whorls of high density Schwann cells between the suspended fibers. This research provides a design perspective and the fundamental parametric basis for suspending individual melt electrowritten fibers into a form that facilitates cell culture.

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Polymers for Melt Electrowriting

Cited by 151 publications

References 137 publications

A deeper insight into the influence of the electric field densities in Melt-Electrowriting: Printing in the 4th Dimension

A deeper insight into the influence of the electric field densities in Melt-Electrowriting: Printing in the 4th Dimension

Toughening elastomers via microstructured thermoplastic fibers with sacrificial bonds and hidden lengths

Design of Suspended Melt Electrowritten Fiber Arrays for Schwann Cell Migration and Neurite Outgrowth

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