Photocurable 3D printing high-strength gels for flexible wearable devices and surgical models

Abstract

Hydrogels are considered to be ideal materials for the preparation of preoperative models and flexible wearable devices due to their softness and plasticity. However, there are still some problems in their application, such as how to achieve the construction of complex spatial structures through 3D printing and poor mechanical properties of the gel, especially poor tear resistance will greatly shorten the service life of hydrogels. In this study, with acrylamide (AM), stearyl methacrylate (SMA) and Multi-arm Crosslinking Agent (AGE-M) as the main raw materials, we provided a tear-resistance gel that can be photocurable for 3D printing. Through digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D printing, various gel-based preoperative models and devices with complex structures can be prepared. More importantly, the printed gel is endowed with excellent tear resistance by introducing the AGE-M as a nanoscale high-functionality crosslinker. In addition, the conductive substance sodium chloride is introduced to make the gel have a certain conductivity, and the organic solvent glycerol is introduced to replace part of the water to form a binary phase organic solvent, which endows the gel with excellent anti-drying and anti-freezing properties, to be suitable for more environments. Therefore, this work proposes a tear-resistance gel processed by DLP-based 3D printing technology, which can be used for the personalized manufacturing of organ models and flexible wearable devices, and is expected to be used in surgical training and artificial intelligence.