1 research outputs found
Autonomously Self-Adhesive Hydrogels as Building Blocks for Additive Manufacturing
We
report a simple method of preparing autonomous and rapid self-adhesive
hydrogels and their use as building blocks for additive manufacturing
of functional tissue scaffolds. Dynamic cross-linking between 2-aminophenylboronic
acid-functionalized hyaluronic acid and polyÂ(vinyl alcohol) yields
hydrogels that recover their mechanical integrity within 1 min after
cutting or shear under both neutral and acidic pH conditions. Incorporation
of this hydrogel in an interpenetrating calcium-alginate network results
in an interfacially stiffer but still rapidly self-adhesive hydrogel
that can be assembled into hollow perfusion channels by simple contact
additive manufacturing within minutes. Such channels withstand fluid
perfusion while retaining their dimensions and support endothelial
cell growth and proliferation, providing a simple and modular route
to produce customized cell scaffolds