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Fundamentals of Laser‐Based Hydrogel Degradation and Applications in Cell and Tissue Engineering
Author(s) -
Pradhan Shantanu,
Keller Keely A.,
Sperduto John L.,
Slater John H.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.201700681
Subject(s) - biofabrication , tissue engineering , materials science , nanotechnology , laser , self healing hydrogels , computer science , biomedical engineering , engineering , physics , optics , polymer chemistry
Abstract The cell and tissue engineering fields have profited immensely through the implementation of highly structured biomaterials. The development and implementation of advanced biofabrication techniques have established new avenues for generating biomimetic scaffolds for a multitude of cell and tissue engineering applications. Among these, laser‐based degradation of biomaterials is implemented to achieve user‐directed features and functionalities within biomimetic scaffolds. This review offers an overview of the physical mechanisms that govern laser–material interactions and specifically, laser–hydrogel interactions. The influences of both laser and material properties on efficient, high‐resolution hydrogel degradation are discussed and the current application space in cell and tissue engineering is reviewed. This review aims to acquaint readers with the capability and uses of laser‐based degradation of biomaterials, so that it may be easily and widely adopted.