Abstract
Additive manufacturing or 3D printing as an umbrella term for various materials processing methods has distinct advantages over many other processing methods, including the ability to generate highly complex shapes and designs. However, the performance of any produced part not only depends on the material used and its shape, but is also critically dependent on its surface properties. Important features, such as wetting or fouling, critically depend mainly on the immediate surface energy. To gain control over the surface chemistry post-processing modifications are generally necessary, since it′s not a feature of additive manufacturing. Here, we report on the use of initiator and catalyst-free photografting and photopolymerization for the hydrophilic modification of microfiber scaffolds obtained from hydrophobic medical-grade poly(ε-caprolactone) via melt-electrowriting. Contact angle measurements and Raman spectroscopy confirms the formation of a more hydrophilic coating of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). Apart from surface modification, we also observe bulk polymerization, which is expected for this method, and currently limits the controllability of this procedure.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is an approach to create physical objects using layer-by-layer [1] or voxel-by-voxel fabrication [2]. 3D printed materials can be used for a broad spectrum of applications, including medical devices where implants can be personalized to improve outcomes in patients [3]
Static conditions were used to determine the influence of exposure time, distance between light source and substrate on the poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) coating and monomer concentration (Supporting Information File 1, Figure S2)
The hydrophobicity of untreated PCL melt electrowriting (MEW) scaffolds (500 μm hatch spacing) is affected by the macrostructure of the hatches, with a high contact angle of at least 127.9° (Figure 1A, t = 0 [min]) that remains almost unchanged over time
Summary
Commonly referred to as three-dimensional (3D) printing, is an approach to create physical objects using layer-by-layer [1] or voxel-by-voxel fabrication [2]. 3D printed materials can be used for a broad spectrum of applications, including medical devices where implants can be personalized to improve outcomes in patients [3]. While medical-grade poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is the most commonly used material for MEW, due to its favorable thermal and mechanical properties, cytocompatibility, biodegradability, and good printing properties [8,14,15], it is a hydrophobic polymer and immersion into fluids can result in air bubble capture within the scaffold structure, biofouling and nonspecific cell interactions [16]. This study outlines a potential approach to coat medical-grade PCL with a thin hydrogel that requires no initiator or catalyst – just a deoxygenated aqueous monomer solution and UV light.
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