Nanoclay-reinforced alginate/salecan composite inks for 3D printing applications

Abstract

The main objective of the present work was to produce three-dimensional (3D)- printable nanocomposite hydrogels based on two kinds of marine-sourced polysaccharides doped with nanoclay with potential biomedical application. First part of the research study investigated the preparation of the polysaccharide bicomponent hydrogel formulations followed by the selection of the optimal ratio of polysaccharides concentrations which ensured proper morphostructural stability of the 3D-printed constructs. Second step aimed to generate 3D scaffolds with high printing fidelity by modulating the nanoclay amount doped within the previously selected biopolymer ink. In compliance with the additive manufacturing experiments, the alginate–salecan hydrogels enriched with the highest nanofiller concentrations demonstrated the highest suitability for 3D printing process. The morphological and structural studies confirmed the ability of the nanocomposite formulations to efficiently produce porous 3D-printed constructs with improved fidelity. The morphostructural findings underlined the implication of choosing the appropriate ratio between components, as they have a considerable impact on the functionality of printing formulations and subsequent 3D-printed structures. Hence, from the obtained results, these novel hydrogel nanocomposites inks are considered valuable biomaterials with suitable features for applications in the additive manufacturing of 3D structures with precise shape for customized regenerative therapy.