Biomanufacturing of heterogeneous hydrogel structures with patterned electrically conductive regions

Abstract

In this paper, we present the biomanufacturing of patterned electrically conductive and cell- embedded hydrogel structures, in which selectively patterned regions of hydrogels including carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and NIH 3T3 cells were demonstrated. We employed a recently developed method of multimaterial additive manufacturing of hydrogels, by using an aspiration-on-demand protocol. The printed structures were characterized by electrical resistivity measurements and microscopy techniques. The results showed that by selectively patterning the electrical conductivity, each region can be considered as a resistor in series circuit. Moreover, due to the novel approach in assembly of cell-patterned segments in low viscosity, the cell viability in printed structures was high after printing. The prospects of combining the functionalities of two fabricated structures were further discussed and highlighted.