Synergizing Algorithmic Design, Photoclick Chemistry and Multi‐Material Volumetric Printing for Accelerating Complex Shape Engineering

Abstract

The field of biomedical design and manufacturing has been rapidly evolving, with implants and grafts featuring complex 3D design constraints and materials distributions. By combining a new coding‐based design and modeling approach with high‐throughput volumetric printing, a new approach is demonstrated to transform the way complex shapes are designed and fabricated for biomedical applications. Here, an algorithmic voxel‐based approach is used that can rapidly generate a large design library of porous structures, auxetic meshes and cylinders, or perfusable constructs. By deploying finite cell modeling within the algorithmic design framework, large arrays of selected auxetic designs can be computationally modeled. Finally, the design schemes are used in conjunction with new approaches for multi‐material volumetric printing based on thiol‐ene photoclick chemistry to rapidly fabricate complex heterogeneous shapes. Collectively, the new design, modeling and fabrication techniques can be used toward a wide spectrum of products such as actuators, biomedical implants and grafts, or tissue and disease models.

Multimaterial Hydrogel 3D Printing

“…[136,137] In particular, Chansoria et al created a heart model wrapped in an auxetic mesh, as seen in Figure 5a. [117] The heart component was volumetrically printed first from norbornene-modified gelatin and thiolated gelatin. Then, the uncrosslinked material was removed from the vial and replaced with a similar resin labeled with rhodamine (rhodlabeled).…”

“…Clearly, this work has exciting potential in the field of construction. [117] Copyright 2023, John Wiley and Sons. b) Printed SMP stent with drug-releasing function.…”

“…ii) Macroscopic image (left) and light sheet microscopy image (right) of the heart construct (non-labeled) with auxetic mesh (rhod-labeled) around it. Reproduced with permission [117]. Copyright 2023, John Wiley and Sons.…”

Crafting Tissue Complexity

“…Recent studies have shown the potential of multi-material VBP, some using sequential printing of the first material, a washing step to remove the uncrosslinked resin, followed by a second volumetric printing step of the second material, [472,473] or the incorporation of a second printing approach, such as embedded extrusion bioprinting. [474] However, as shown in a recently published study outlining different approaches towards multimaterial VBP, printing two resins in a single step requires some adjustments to their optical properties, [473][473] as well as the establishment of a strong interface that holds both materials together post-printing.…”

“…Volumetric printing of cellular structures (volumetric bioprinting), has been demonstrated on various occasions, reporting the possibility to print viable and functional cells and organoids, [127,286] and to sculpt the latter into complex, function-modulating architectures. [286] The potential to create complex multi-material Thermal Shrinking of Biopolymeric Hydrogels for High Resolution Volumetric Printing A constructs, [473] combine the VP approach with other printing strategies, like embedded bioprinting for further multi-material and multi-cellular applications, [474] two-photon ablation to create microchannels withing VP-printed structures, [614] and melt electrowriting to enhance the mechanical stability of printed hydrogel structures, [472] has also been recently demonstrated. In the field of material chemistry however, the use of smart, stimuli responsive bioresins has been limited to date.…”