Abstract
The fabrication of hollow channels surrounded by gold nanoparticles in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is demonstrated. The absorption spectra show that gold nanoparticles were formed at the periphery of the focus by reduction of gold ions. The microscope observation and Raman spectroscopy analyses indicate that the center of the channels were void of PEGDA, which can be attributed to the femtosecond laser-induced degradation of the hydrogel. Since both the hydrogel and gold nanoparticles are biocompatible, this technique of fabricating hollow channels surrounded by gold nanoparticles is promising for tissue engineering, drug screening, and lab-on-a-chip devices.
Highlights
The fabrication of tissue in vitro is essential in advancing the development of tissue engineering and drug screening
Hydrogels show high permeability to liquid, which allows the diffusion of glucose, oxygen and other nutrients to cells adhered in the bulk hydrogel [3]. 3-dimensional tissues fabricated on hydrogel tissue scaffolds have applications in tissue engineering including the regeneration of spinal cords, and can be useful in organ-on-a-chip, drug screening, and diagnostics [4,5,6,7,8]
We demonstrate the simultaneous fabrication of hollow channels surrounded by gold nanoparticles in hydrogels by femtosecond laser irradiation
Summary
The fabrication of tissue in vitro is essential in advancing the development of tissue engineering and drug screening. Existing methods for processing bulk hydrogel for the fabrication of tissue scaffolds include, multiphoton polymerization, soft lithography, molding using sacrificial materials, and laser processing [9]. Femtosecond lasers are powerful tools for the fabrication of a 3-dimensional channel in bulk materials including hydrogels. It has been reported that the patterning of gold nanoparticles on the surface of hydrogels accelerates cell adhesion in monolayer cultures. To the best of our knowledge, the simultaneous fabrication of hollow channels and gold nanoparticles around the channels by laser irradiation has yet to be reported. We demonstrate the simultaneous fabrication of hollow channels surrounded by gold nanoparticles in hydrogels by femtosecond laser irradiation. The bright-field microscope images and absorption spectra show the reduction of gold ions around the channels, induced by femtosecond laser irradiation. The digital microscope images and Raman spectroscopy results indicate that the center of the channels were void of PEGDA matrix
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