For wearable, implantable, or ingestible applications, flexible electronics have made it possible to design sensors, actuators, microfluidics, and electronics on flexible, conformal, and/or elastic sublayers. These devices, on the other hand, can’t be merged with the human body because their mechanical and biochemical properties are very different from those of human tissue. In order for the ink to be used in 3D printing, a group of researchers at Texas A&M University created a new class of biomaterial inks that mirror the natural qualities of highly conductive human tissue, much like skin.
This biomaterial ink uses molybdenum disulfide, a new class of 2D nanomaterials (MoS2). MoS2 has a thin, layered structure with defect centers that makes it chemically active. When this structure is put together with modified gelatin, it makes a flexible hydrogel that feels like Jell-O.
According to Dr. Akhilesh Gaharwar, an associate professor in the department of biomedical engineering and Presidential Impact Fellow, “the impact of this discovery is far-reaching in 3D printing.” This next generation of wearable and implantable bioelectronics can now be made possible by this newly created hydrogel ink, which is highly biocompatible and electrically conductive.
Recently, ACS Nano published this study.
The ink is solid inside the tube but flows more like a liquid when pushed, akin to ketchup or toothpaste, since it possesses shear-thinning qualities that cause its viscosity to drop when force is applied. By mixing these electrically conductive nanoparticles with a modified gelatin, the team made a hydrogel ink with the properties needed to make an ink that can be used for 3D printing.
According to Kaivalya Deo, a graduate student in the department of biomedical engineering and the paper’s primary author, “These 3D-printed devices are exceptionally elastomeric and can be compressed, bent, or twisted without breaking.” Additionally, because they are technologically active, these gadgets can track dynamic human motion and pave the way for ongoing motion tracking.
Researchers from the Gaharwar Laboratory created a low-cost, open-source, multi-head 3D bioprinter that runs on free and open-source software and is completely functional and adaptable in order to 3D print the ink. So, any researcher can make 3D bioprinters that are tailored to the needs of their own study.
Electrically conductive hydrogel ink is used in 3D printing. It can be used to make complex 3D circuits and is not limited to flat designs. This lets researchers make bioelectronics that can be tailored to the needs of each patient.
Using these 3D printers, Deo was able to build electrically active and flexible electronic gadgets. These instruments have exceptional strain sensing skills and can be utilized to design flexible monitoring systems. This creates new design opportunities for stretchable sensors that incorporate microelectronic components.
The 3D printing of electronic tattoos for Parkinson’s disease patients is one possible use for the new ink. Researchers hope that this printed electronic tattoo will be able to track a patient’s movements, including tremors.
Dr. Limei Tian, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Texas A&M, and Dr. Anthony Guiseppi-Elie, vice president for academic affairs and workforce development at Tri-County Technical College, are working together on this project.
The Texas A&M University President’s Excellence Fund, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering also provided funding for this study. The Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station has filed a provisional patent application for this technology.
