Stiffness memory nanohybrid scaffolds generated by indirect 3D printing for biologically responsive soft implants

Autor: Wu, L, Virdee, J, Maughan, E, Darbyshire, A, Jell, G, Loizidou, M, Emberton, M, Butler, P, Howkins, A, Reynolds, A, Boyd, IW, Birchall, M, Song, W
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Popis: © 2018 The Authors. Cell and tissue stiffness is an important biomechanical signalling parameter for dynamic biological pro-cesses; responsive polymeric materials conferring responsive functionality are therefore appealing forin vivoimplants. We have developed thermoresponsive poly(urea-urethane) nanohybrid scaffolds with‘stiffness memory’ through a versatile 3D printing-guided thermally induced phase separation (3D-TIPS) technique. 3D-TIPS, a combination of 3D printing with phase separation, allows uniform phase-separation and phase transition of the polymer solution at a large interface of network within the printedsacrificial preform, leading to the creation of full-scale scaffolds with bespoke anatomical complex geom-etry. A wide range of hyperelastic mechanical properties of the soft elastomer scaffolds with intercon-nected pores at multi-scale, controlled porosity and crystallinity have been manufactured, notpreviously achievable via direct printing techniques or phase-separation alone. Semi-crystalline poly-meric reverse self-assembly to a ground-stated quasi-random nanophase structure, throughout a hierar-chical structure of internal pores, contributes to gradual stiffness relaxation duringin vitrocell culturewith minimal changes to shape. This ‘stiffness memory’ provides initial mechanical support to surround-ing tissues before gradually softening to a better mechanical match, raising hopes for personalized andbiologically responsive soft tissue implants which promote human fibroblast cells growth as modeland potential scaffold tissue integration. UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC EP/L020904/1, EP/M026884/1 and EP/R02961X/1).
Databáze: OpenAIRE