The Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, November 23 (Reporter Zhang Mengran) – A research team from the University of Virginia has pioneered a new type of 3D printing material. This material is compatible with the human immune system and is expected to promote the rapid and safe development of various medical technologies such as artificial organ transplantation and drug delivery. This groundbreaking achievement was published in the latest issue of the journal “Advanced Materials.”
The research team demonstrated a method to alter the properties of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to create a stretchable network structure. PEG has been widely used in biomedical technologies such as tissue engineering, but traditional production methods (which involve crosslinking PEG polymers in water and then removing the water) lead to fragile structures and crystallization, preventing them from maintaining integrity during stretching.
To address this issue, the team drew inspiration from the molecular design used to manufacture highly elastic rubber, employing a “foldable bottle brush” structure that makes the material both strong and highly elastic. The polymer molecules have many flexible side chains radiating from a central backbone, which can fold like an accordion, storing additional length that can be unfolded, thus achieving high stretchability. They applied the concept of the foldable bottle brush polymer to PEG by exposing the precursor mixture to ultraviolet light for a few seconds, initiating polymerization to form the bottle brush structure network, successfully creating a 3D printable, highly stretchable PEG-based hydrogel and solvent-free elastomer.
Team members stated that by changing the shape of the ultraviolet lamp, many complex structures can be created, providing new possibilities for the future manufacture of artificial organs or drug delivery systems. Additionally, experiments have shown that this stretchable 3D printed PEG material is biocompatible, with cell culture tests confirming its compatibility with biological tissues, making it suitable for in vivo materials such as organ scaffolds.
Looking ahead, this material may be combined with other materials to produce 3D printed products with different chemical compositions, expanding various applications. For example, compared to existing solid polymer electrolytes, the new material exhibits higher conductivity and stretchability at room temperature, highlighting its potential as a high-performance solid electrolyte in advanced battery technologies. The team stated that they will continue to explore its application prospects in solid-state battery technology.
Editorial Note
3D printed biomaterials bring new transformations to the field of regenerative medicine, such as artificial organ transplantation. At the same time, related technologies face the challenge of how to better integrate 3D printed structures with the human immune system. Traditional artificial implants may trigger human rejection reactions or chronic inflammation. The new 3D printed biomaterials attempt to fundamentally address this issue through precise molecular regulation and design. Using this method, 3D printed structures such as bones, cartilage, and even vascular tissues are expected to be truly accepted and integrated by the human body, opening up new pathways for highly personalized regenerative medical treatments.
Source: Science and Technology Daily