4D printing of tracheal scaffold using shape-memory polymer composite

Abstract

Additive manufacturing of shape memory materials has gained huge attention owing to its potential in the field of personalized medical devices. The shape and functionality of the printed static structures can be modified because of their unique property of response to external stimuli. In this work, different compositions of biodegradable polymers, polylactic acid (PLA), and polycaprolactone (PCL) were 4D printed using direct ink writing (DIW). The shape-memory effect of various compositions of PLA/PCL blends was investigated. PLA served as a fixed phase in order to memorize the original shape of the sample, and PCL served as a reversible phase to facilitate the transition and fixation to a temporary shape. The response temperatures were found to depend on the glass transition temperature of samples obtained from differential scanning calorimetry. Finally, a biomedical application of the blend was explored by characterizing the shape-memory behavior of printed tracheal scaffolds.