Rheological Analysis Of A Cellulose Nanofibril Composite Hydrogel Bioink For Bioprinting Applications

—Biocompatible hydrogels, or bioinks, are an essential component of 3D bioprinting technology. Bioinks must balance being able to support cells, biocompatibility, controlled degradation rates, printability as well as a host of mechanical properties. One step towards the development of a bioink is the understanding of its rheological properties. In this work we examine the properties of a gelatin-alginate-cellulose nanofibril (CNF) composite hydrogel, as well as the individual components. We found that the proposed bioink had a relatively weak structure due to the purely physical crosslinking mechanisms employed. The hydrogel did have excellent shear-thinning properties as well as a highly tunable viscosity making it a good candidate for bioprinting applications.