Effect of Stereolithography 3D Printing on the Properties of PEGDMA Hydrogels.

Stereolithography (SLA)-based 3D printing has proven to have several advantages over traditional fabrication techniques as it allows for the control of hydrogel synthesis at a very high resolution, making possible the creation of tissue-engineered devices with microarchitecture similar to the tissues they are replacing. Much of the previous work in hydrogels for tissue engineering applications have utilised the ultraviolet (UV) chamber bulk photopolymerisation method for preparing test specimens. Therefore, it is essential to directly compare SLA 3D printing to this more traditional approach to elucidate the differences in hydrogels prepared by each fabrication method.

Preparation of Biodegradable Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate Hydrogels via Thiol-ene Chemistry.

Through the control of the molecular weight, water content and monomer concentration, polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) based hydrogels have been adapted for numerous applications, including as structural scaffolds, drug delivery vehicles and cell carriers. However, due to the low biodegradability rates, the use of PEGDMA in tissue engineering has been limited. Thiol-based monomers have been shown to improve the degradation rates of several PEG-based hydrogels, though their impact on several material properties has not been as well defined.

Evaluation of the materials properties, stability and cell response of a range of PEGDMA hydrogels for tissue engineering applications.

The main aim of this study was to examine the stability of a range of polyethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) hydrogels over a 28-day period in simulated physiological solution. Upon optimisation of the ultraviolet (UV) curing conditions, the PEGDMA hydrogels were prepared using four different monomer concentrations (25, 50, 75 and 100 wt% PEGDMA) in water and cross-linked by photopolymerisation. Initial results revealed a correlation between monomer concentration and swelling behaviour, where a decrease in swelling was observed with increase in monomer content.