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Published March 14, 2023 | Version v1
Publication Open

3D Printed Template-Assisted Casting of Biocompatible Polyvinyl Alcohol-Based Soft Microswimmers with Tunable Stability

  • 1. Multi-Scale Robotics Lab Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems ETH Zürich Tannenstrasse 3, Zürich CH-8092, Switzerland
  • 2. Department of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Xiamen University Xiamen 361005, China
  • 3. Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering DGIST-ETH Microrobot Research Center Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) 333 Techno jungang-daero, Hyeonpung-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
  • 4. Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Química Física Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional University of Barcelona (UB) Barcelona 08028, Spain

Description

The past decade has seen an upsurge in the development of small-scale magnetic robots for various biomedical applications. However, many of the reported designs comprise components with biocompatibility concerns. Strategies for fabricating biocompatible and degradable microrobots are required. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based magnetic hydrogel microrobots with different morphologies and tunable stability are developed by combining a 3D printed template-assisted casting with a salting-out process. 3D sacrificial micromolds are prepared via direct laser writing to shape PVA-magnetic nanoparticle composite hydrogel microrobots with high architectural complexity. By adjusting the PVA composition and salting-out parameters, the hydrogel dissolubility can be customized. Due to their high mobility, tunable stability, and high biocompatibility, these PVA-based magnetic microrobots are suitable platforms for targeted drug and cell delivery. 

Files

Adv Funct Materials - 2023 - Sanchis‐Gual - 3D Printed Template‐Assisted Casting of Biocompatible Polyvinyl Alcohol‐Based.pdf

Additional details

Funding

ANGIE – MAgnetically steerable wireless Nanodevices for the tarGeted delivery of therapeutIc agents in any vascular rEgion of the body 952152
European Commission