Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials

The possibility to shape stimulus-responsive optical polymers, especially hydrogels, by means of laser 3D printing and ablation is fostering a new concept of “smart” micro-devices that can be used for imaging, thermal stimulation, energy transducing and sensing. The composition of these polymeric blends is an essential parameter to tune their properties as actuators and/or sensing platforms and to determine the elasto-mechanical characteristics of the printed hydrogel. In light of the increasing demand for micro-devices for nanomedicine and personalized medicine, interest is growing in the combination of composite and hybrid photo-responsive materials and digital micro-/nano-manufacturing. Existing works have exploited multiphoton laser photo-polymerization to obtain fine 3D microstructures in hydrogels in an additive manufacturing approach or exploited laser ablation of preformed hydrogels to carve 3D cavities. Less often, the two approaches have been combined and active nanomaterials have been embedded in the microstructures. The aim of this review is to give a short overview of the most recent and prominent results in the field of multiphoton laser direct writing of biocompatible hydrogels that embed active nanomaterials not interfering with the writing process and endowing the biocompatible microstructures with physically or chemically activable features such as photothermal activity, chemical swelling and chemical sensing. View Full-Text

Keywords: 3D printing; hydrogels; photo-polymerization; photo-ablation

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MDPI and ACS Style

Bouzin, M.; Zeynali, A.; Marini, M.; Sironi, L.; Scodellaro, R.; D’Alfonso, L.; Collini, M.; Chirico, G. Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials. Sensors 2021, 21, 5891. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175891

AMA Style

Bouzin M, Zeynali A, Marini M, Sironi L, Scodellaro R, D’Alfonso L, Collini M, Chirico G. Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials. Sensors. 2021; 21(17):5891. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175891

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bouzin, Margaux, Amirbahador Zeynali, Mario Marini, Laura Sironi, Riccardo Scodellaro, Laura D’Alfonso, Maddalena Collini, and Giuseppe Chirico. 2021. "Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials" Sensors 21, no. 17: 5891. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21175891

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Author Biographies

Mario Marini

MM graduated with a degree in Physics in 2018 from the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca and is currently a PhD candidate at the Physics Department of the same university. MM’s research activity is centered on the development of optical microscopy techniques for the study of complex biological systems. MM has exploited multiphoton fabrication to develop and design photo-thermally active laser-written proteinaceous microstructures to be used as platforms for cell growth and stimulation.

Laura Sironi

Laura Sironi graduated in Physics, with a PhD in Biophysics, and is now Associate Professor of Applied Physics, at the University of Milano Bicocca, Dep. of Physics. LS has a scientific background in advanced spectroscopic methods and in fluorescence techniques combined with linear and nonlinear optical microscopy for biological and medical applications. LS has acquired expertise in time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (both lifetime and anisotropy decay) in vitro and in vivo (cells), in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) and resonant energy transfer (FRET) in solutions and in cells.

Riccardo Scodellaro

Riccardo Scodellaro graduated with a degree in Physics from the University of Milano-Bicocca and is currently a PhD candidate at the same university. RS's research activity is centered on artificial intelligence methods for imaging and microscopy also applied to micro- and nanostrutures.

Laura D’Alfonso

Laura D’Alfonso graduated in Physics, with a PhD in Biophysics, and is now associate professor of Applied Physics, at the University of Milano Bicocca, Dep. of Physics. The research activity of LD has mainly focused on molecular biophysics, and it has been devoted to the application of spectroscopic techniques to study the structural and dynamic properties of proteins, and to analyzing their interaction, by combining experimental and theoretical-simulative approaches.

Maddalena Collini

Maddalena Collini graduated in Physics, with a PhD in Biophysics, and is full professor of Applied Physics, at the University of Milano Bicocca, Dep. of Physics, and Course Director of the Bachelor's and the Master's degrees in Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Milano Bicocca. MC is the PI of the super-resolution microscope financed in 2011 by the Università di Milano-Bicocca.

Giuseppe Chirico

Giuseppe Chirico graduated in Physics, with a PhD in Biophysics, and is full professor of Applied Physics, at the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Dep. of Physics. GC is the PI of the Laboratory for Advanced Bio-Spectroscopy (LABS) financed by the Università di Milano-Bicocca. His scientific background is in photon- and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy for biomolecules characterization in vitro and fluorescence two-photon excitation and second harmonic generation microscopy applied to the in vivo imaging of tissues.

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Multiphoton Laser Fabrication of Hybrid Photo-Activable Biomaterials

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