Freeform Perfusable Microfluidics Embedded in Hydrogel Matrices
by
Gabriela Štumberger and Boštjan Vihar *
IRNAS—Institute for development of advanced applied systems, Valvasorjeva 42, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Materials 2018, 11(12), 2529; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122529
Received: 2 November 2018 / Revised: 8 December 2018 / Accepted: 10 December 2018 / Published: 12 December 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Bio-based Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications)
We report a modification of the freeform reversible embedding of suspended hydrogels (FRESH) 3D printing method for the fabrication of freeform perfusable microfluidics inside a hydrogel matrix. Xanthan gum is deposited into a CaCl2 infused gelatine slurry to form filaments, which are consequently rinsed to produce hollow channels. This provides a simple method for rapid prototyping of microfluidic devices based on biopolymers and potentially a new approach to the construction of vascular grafts for tissue engineering.
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Keywords:
freeform; hydrogel; gelatine; microfluidics; FRESH; bioprinting; vascularization
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MDPI and ACS Style
Štumberger, G.; Vihar, B. Freeform Perfusable Microfluidics Embedded in Hydrogel Matrices. Materials 2018, 11, 2529.
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