3D conductive scaffolds of MXene@PCL with high conductivity and small line width fabricated by electric-field-driven jet 3D printing and electrostatic self-assembly

Abstract

There has been an increasing interest in 3D conductive scaffolds due to their unique ability to promote cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. However, preparing 3D conductive scaffolds with high resolution and high conductivity still faces great challenges. Herein, a new method combining electric-field-driven (EFD) jet 3D printing and electrostatic self-assembly (ESA) is proposed to prepare 3D conductive scaffolds of MXene@PCL with high conductivity and small line widths. Firstly, the effect of EFD jet 3D printing processing parameters on the line width and the effect of ESA on the conductivity has been investigated and optimized. Based on the optimized parameters, the prepared 3D conductive scaffolds of MXene@PCL with a line width of 12 µm exhibit excellent performance: tensile stress of 2.67 MPa, elongation of 523.9 %, the porosity of 88.4 %, the conductivity of 2.8 ± 0.3 S cm−1, which is much higher than the reported results. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity can still reach 2.12 ± 0.1 S cm−1 after 100 cycles of bending at 120°, indicating the good adhesion between MXene and PCL matrix. Therefore, the proposed fabrication method offers a promising application prospect for 3D conductive scaffolds with high conductivity and small line widths in regenerative medicine.