Direct Ink Write Printing of Chitin-Based Gel Fibers with Customizable Fibril Alignment, Porosity, and Mechanical Properties for Biomedical Applications.

ABSTRACT: A fine control over different dimensional scales is a challenging target for material science since it could grant control over many properties of the final material. In this study, we developed a multivariable additive manufacturing process, direct ink write printing, to control different architectural features from the nano- to the millimeter scale during extrusion. Chitin-based gel fibers with a water content of around 1500% were obtained extruding a polymeric solution of chitin into a counter solvent, water, inducing instant solidification of the material. A certain degree of fibrillar alignment was achieved basing on the shear stress induced by the nozzle. In this study we took into account a single variable, the nozzle's internal diameter (NID). In fact, a positive correlation betwee

SUBMITTER: Montroni D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9225658 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature