{"title":"PVA-coated 3D-printed molds for rapid prototyping of PDMS microdevices for stem cell culture","authors":"Yuma Abe, Daiki Fukai, Taro Toyoda, Naoto Fukumoto, Kyohei Terao","doi":"10.1007/s10544-026-00790-5","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is increasingly being utilized as a rapid prototyping method for manufacturing molds for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microdevices. Residual photoinitiators and other leachable components derived from photocurable resins often inhibit PDMS curing, while the surface roughness introduced by layer-by-layer printing is known to degrade device performance in cell culture applications. In this study, we propose a surface modification strategy using dip coating with water-soluble and biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to improve the compatibility of 3D-printed molds with PDMS replication. Systematic characterization revealed that PVA concentration governs film viscosity and thickness, with the 3–18% (w/w) range yielding uniform and reproducible coatings. PVA-coated molds effectively suppressed PDMS curing inhibition and reduced surface roughness by up to 80%, enabling high-fidelity replication of microstructures. Furthermore, PDMS microwell arrays fabricated from PVA-coated molds supported efficient and uniform embryoid body (EB) formation from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, with an increased frequency of single EB per well compared to uncoated molds. These findings demonstrate that PVA coating provides a facile, biocompatible, and shape-preserving post-treatment to overcome key limitations of 3D-printed molds. The proposed method offers a robust and accessible pathway for the rapid prototyping of PDMS-based microdevices for stem cell culture and broader biomedical applications.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":490,"journal":{"name":"Biomedical Microdevices","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4000,"publicationDate":"2026-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Biomedical Microdevices","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10544-026-00790-5","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, BIOMEDICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is increasingly being utilized as a rapid prototyping method for manufacturing molds for polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microdevices. Residual photoinitiators and other leachable components derived from photocurable resins often inhibit PDMS curing, while the surface roughness introduced by layer-by-layer printing is known to degrade device performance in cell culture applications. In this study, we propose a surface modification strategy using dip coating with water-soluble and biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to improve the compatibility of 3D-printed molds with PDMS replication. Systematic characterization revealed that PVA concentration governs film viscosity and thickness, with the 3–18% (w/w) range yielding uniform and reproducible coatings. PVA-coated molds effectively suppressed PDMS curing inhibition and reduced surface roughness by up to 80%, enabling high-fidelity replication of microstructures. Furthermore, PDMS microwell arrays fabricated from PVA-coated molds supported efficient and uniform embryoid body (EB) formation from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, with an increased frequency of single EB per well compared to uncoated molds. These findings demonstrate that PVA coating provides a facile, biocompatible, and shape-preserving post-treatment to overcome key limitations of 3D-printed molds. The proposed method offers a robust and accessible pathway for the rapid prototyping of PDMS-based microdevices for stem cell culture and broader biomedical applications.
期刊介绍：
Biomedical Microdevices: BioMEMS and Biomedical Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary periodical devoted to all aspects of research in the medical diagnostic and therapeutic applications of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (BioMEMS) and nanotechnology for medicine and biology.
General subjects of interest include the design, characterization, testing, modeling and clinical validation of microfabricated systems, and their integration on-chip and in larger functional units. The specific interests of the Journal include systems for neural stimulation and recording, bioseparation technologies such as nanofilters and electrophoretic equipment, miniaturized analytic and DNA identification systems, biosensors, and micro/nanotechnologies for cell and tissue research, tissue engineering, cell transplantation, and the controlled release of drugs and biological molecules.
Contributions reporting on fundamental and applied investigations of the material science, biochemistry, and physics of biomedical microdevices and nanotechnology are encouraged. A non-exhaustive list of fields of interest includes: nanoparticle synthesis, characterization, and validation of therapeutic or imaging efficacy in animal models; biocompatibility; biochemical modification of microfabricated devices, with reference to non-specific protein adsorption, and the active immobilization and patterning of proteins on micro/nanofabricated surfaces; the dynamics of fluids in micro-and-nano-fabricated channels; the electromechanical and structural response of micro/nanofabricated systems; the interactions of microdevices with cells and tissues, including biocompatibility and biodegradation studies; variations in the characteristics of the systems as a function of the micro/nanofabrication parameters.
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