Rheological study of PEG-Laponite-alginate composite hydrogels aiming 3D extrusion-based printing

Materia

article

Karina Feliciano Santo¹  José Luis Dávila²  Andrea Cecília Dorion Rodas¹  Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva²  Juliana Kelmy Macário Barboza Daguano¹ 

[1] UFABC;Núcleo de Tecnologias Tridimensionais

关键词: Composite;    Laponite nanosilicate;    alginate;    3D printing;    rheology;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S1517-707620220002.1374

学科分类：工程和技术（综合）

来源: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro * Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia

【 摘 要 】

Hydrogels, crosslinked polymeric networks capable of absorbing and retaining a large number of water due to their hydrophilic nature, draws attention to Tissue Engineering applications. These materials offer the potential to design scaffolds based on their pseudoplastic behavior, which is essential for extrusion-based three-dimensional (3D) printing. The addition of Laponite, a two-dimensional disk-shaped nanosilicate, allows modifying the rheological behavior of some gels, creating an optimized condition for 3D printing. In this study, the rheological characterization of the composite hydrogel PEG-Laponite-Alginate (PL-Alg) and its precursor gel PEG-Laponite (PL) was carried out, aiming in the future for 3D bioprinting of constructs. Initially, the rheological behavior of different concentrations of Laponite in the PL composite was evaluated. The viscosity of the PEG-400 increased dramatically as a function of the addition of Laponite, characterizing a strong shear-thinning and solid-like rheological behavior, ideal for 3D printing. The effect of different levels of Laponite can also be noted for the composite (PL-Alg), keeping the concentration of PEG400 and alginate fixed, the latter being added as a second network precursor to crosslink the PEG-Laponite hydrogel. Besides, all composites showed a partial recovery of viscosity as a function of time after the application of shear. This rheological parameter must be considered in the development of a bioink. PL-Alg scaffolds containing Laponite were printed containing up to 10 layers and placed in a CaCl2 solution to promote crosslinking of the alginate chains. Subsequently, in vitro tests were performed in phosphate-buffered saline solution, showing that the dissolution of the composite hydrogel network was more critical for the sample with 5% Laponite. In conclusion, for future work, the most appropriate way of crosslinking the PEG chain should be considered to improve the mechanical properties and the resistance to degradation, enabling the use of the PEG-Laponite-Alginate system as a bioink for 3D bioprinting applications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY