We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




3D Hydrogel Structures Developed for Biomedical Use

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 13 Feb 2018
Print article
Image: A three-dimensional-printed chess king shrinking and growing as water temperatures change (Photo courtesy of Daehoon Han, Rutgers University).
Image: A three-dimensional-printed chess king shrinking and growing as water temperatures change (Photo courtesy of Daehoon Han, Rutgers University).
A team of biomedical engineers developed a three-dimensional printing method for stimuli-responsive hydrogels that may enable many new applications in diverse areas, including flexible sensors and actuators, biomedical devices, and tissue engineering.

Investigators at Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ, USA) used a high-resolution digital additive manufacturing technique known as projection micro-stereolithography to fabricate structures from the temperature-responsive polymer Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm).

PNIPAAm was first synthesized in the 1950s from N-isopropylacrylamide, which is commercially available. It is prepared via free-radical polymerization and is readily functionalized making it useful in a variety of applications. It forms a three-dimensional hydrogel when cross-linked with N,N’-methylene-bis-acrylamide (MBAm) or N,N’-cystamine-bis-acrylamide (CBAm). When heated in water above 32 degrees Celsius, it undergoes a reversible lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase transition from a swollen hydrated state to a shrunken dehydrated state, losing about 90% of its volume. Since PNIPAAm expels its liquid contents at a temperature near that of the human body, it has been investigated by many researchers for possible applications in tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery.

For the current study, control of the temperature dependent deformation of three-dimensional printed PNIPAAm was achieved by controlling the manufacturing process parameters as well as the polymer resin composition. A report on the process published in the January 31, 2018, online edition of the journal Scientific Reports described the sequential deformation of a three-dimensional printed PNIPAAm structure by selective incorporation of ionic monomer that shifted the swelling transition temperature of PNIPAAm.

“If you have full control of the shape, then you can program its function,” said senior author Dr. Howon Lee, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Rutgers University. “I think that is the power of three-dimensional printing of shape-shifting material. You can apply this principle almost everywhere. The full potential of this smart hydrogel has not been unleashed until now. We added another dimension to it, and this is the first time anybody has done it on this scale. They are flexible, shape-morphing materials. I like to call them smart materials.”

Related Links:
Rutgers University

Platinum Member
COVID-19 Rapid Test
OSOM COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
Specimen Collection & Transport
Anti-Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide Test
GPP-100 Anti-CCP Kit
Gold Member
Xylazine Immunoassay Test
Xylazine ELISA

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: Reaching speeds up to 6,000 RPM, this centrifuge forms the basis for a new type of inexpensive, POC biomedical test (Photo courtesy of Duke University)

POC Biomedical Test Spins Water Droplet Using Sound Waves for Cancer Detection

Exosomes, tiny cellular bioparticles carrying a specific set of proteins, lipids, and genetic materials, play a crucial role in cell communication and hold promise for non-invasive diagnostics.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: The study showed the blood-based cancer screening test detects 83% of people with colorectal cancer with specificity of 90% (Photo courtesy of Guardant Health)

Blood Test Shows 83% Accuracy for Detecting Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second biggest cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S., with forecasts suggesting 53,010 people might die from it in 2024. While fewer older adults are dying from this... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The Gazelle Hb Variant Test (Photo courtesy of Hemex Health)

First Affordable and Rapid Test for Beta Thalassemia Demonstrates 99% Diagnostic Accuracy

Hemoglobin disorders rank as some of the most prevalent monogenic diseases globally. Among various hemoglobin disorders, beta thalassemia, a hereditary blood disorder, affects about 1.5% of the world's... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The new platform is designed to perform blood-based diagnoses of nontuberculosis mycobacteria (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Blood Test Cuts Diagnosis Time for Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections from Months to Hours

Breathing in nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a common experience for many people. These bacteria are present in water systems, soil, and dust all over the world and usually don't cause any problems.... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: These new assays are being developed for use on the recently introduced DxI 9000 Immunoassay Analyzer (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter and Fujirebio Expand Partnership on Neurodegenerative Disease Diagnostics

Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (Brea, CA, USA) and Fujirebio Diagnostics (Tokyo, Japan) have expanded their partnership focused on the development, manufacturing and clinical adoption of neurodegenerative... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.