| Hydrogels are hydrophilic networks of polymer chains and can retain a large amount of water. They are commonly used in a variety of applications from soft robots to bioprinting, and have proved to be useful in other applications requiring large amounts of deformation, such as transparent touch panels. However, the application of hydrogels is limited by their manufacturing methods. Traditionally, they rely on molding and casting. These traditional manufacturing methods limit the geometric complexity of the gel and lead to relatively low resolution. 3D printing There are many recent developments in hydrogels, but there are still limitations: They do not have high resolution, geometric complexity or stretchability.  However, all of this will be changed. A research team consisting of the Singapore Institute of Technology and Design (SUTD) Digital Manufacturing and Design Center (DMAND) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) has developed a series of high-strength and UV-curable The hydrogel can stretch it up to 1300%. "We have developed the world's most stretchable 3D printed hydrogel sample," said Qi (Kevin) Ge, an assistant professor from the SUTD Science and Mathematics Group, who is one of the co-leaders of the project. Printed hydrogel samples can be stretched up to 1300%. Meanwhile, these hydrogels are based on digital light treatment 3D printing technology The compatibility allows us to fabricate hydrogel 3D structures with resolutions up to 7μm and complex geometries. 'Hydrogels have been used for objects that require high 3D print structure resolution and high geometric complexity. They also exhibit a high degree of Biocompatibility, which makes them promising for bioprinting and other medical applications.  'Printed stretchable hydrogels show excellent biocompatibility, which allows us to print 3D directly to biological structures and tissues,' Ge continued. 'These hydrogels have a high optical clarity and can provide The possibility of 3D printing contact lenses. More importantly, these 3D printable hydrogels can be combined with commercial 3D printed elastomers to form a powerful interface, which enables us to print 3D directly hydrogel-elastomer hybrid structures, such as Prints flexible electronic boards and conductive hydrogel circuits based on elastomeric substrates. The study was published in the latest issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry B and described on the cover. 'Overall, we believe that highly-stretched and UV-cured hydrogels and UV-cured 3D printing technologies will significantly improve the manufacturing capabilities of biological structures and tissues, contact lenses, flexible electronics and many other applications,' the HUJI project The co-leader Professor Shlomo Magdassi said. As the study of hydrogels continues, more and more applications will be opened, especially through 3D printing. Whether it is bioprinting, 3D printed electronics or others, these fascinating substances are entering more complex applications. 3D printing has been used in the medical field to manufacture hydrogel constructs with complex geometries, such as blood vessel networks, porous scaffolds, meniscal substitutes, etc., although many researchers still strive to print with the required high resolution Of the construct, but this latest development is moving toward another area that requires high resolution and geometric shapes. Source: 3D Tiger |
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