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upstart writes in with an IRC submission for AnonymousCoward:

New universal carrier ink for 3-D printing:

Researchers at ETH have produced a gel from cellulose fibers and biodegradable nanoparticles that liquefies when pressed through the nozzle of a 3-D printer, but then quickly returns to its original shape. Their invention paves the way for personalized biomaterial implants.

In the same way that medicine has seen a trend towards precision medicine—where treatment is tailored to the genetic make-up of the patient—in recent years, materials scientists are increasingly turning their attention to precision biomaterials. As things stand, however, personalised implants are still a long way off. "But at the moment, we're making great progress toward this goal—and learning a lot in the process," says Mark Tibbitt, Professor of Macromolecular Engineering in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich.

[...] This is where the universal carrier ink that Tibbitt's team has developed can help. It consists of cellulose fibers dissolved in water combined with biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles. When no external pressure is being exerted, the fibers attach themselves to the particles. This creates a transient network that can be disrupted when subjected to the high shear forces in the printer nozzle—but that quickly reforms after passing through the narrow opening.

In further experiments, Tibbitt and his team of researchers added different polymers (such as hyaluronic acid, gelatine, collagen, or fibrinogen) to their new carrier ink. These secondary polymers did not change the ink's flow behavior through the head of the printer nozzle, but enabled the researchers to solidify the transient network to form the printed structure in a second, subsequent step.

Elia A. Guzzi et al. Universal Nanocarrier Ink Platform for Biomaterials Additive Manufacturing, Small (2019). DOI: 10.1002/smll.201905421

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