Open AccessMechanical Characterization of Multilayered Hydrogels: A Rheological Study for 3D-Printed Systems
Author(s) -
Ana M. Fuentes-Caparrós,
Zaloa Canales-Galarza,
Michael Barrow,
Benjamin Dietrich,
Jörg Läuger,
Markus Nemeth,
Emily R. Draper,
Dave J. Adams
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
biomacromolecules
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.689
H-Index - 220
eISSN - 1526-4602
pISSN - 1525-7797
DOI - 10.1021/acs.biomac.1c00078
Subject(s) - rheology , self healing hydrogels , characterization (materials science) , materials science , measure (data warehouse) , 3d printing , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , polymer science , composite material , polymer chemistry , computer science , database , engineering
We describe rheological protocols to study layered and three-dimensional (3D)-printed gels. Our methods allow us to measure the properties at different depths and determine the contribution of each layer to the resulting combined properties of the gels. We show that there are differences when using different measuring systems for rheological measurement, which directly affects the resulting properties being measured. These methods allow us to measure the gel properties after printing, rather than having to rely on the assumption that there is no change in properties from a preprinted gel. We show that the rheological properties of fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-diphenylalanine (FmocFF) gels are heavily influenced by the printing process.