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Updated: Nov 20, 2025
Fabrication of Size-Controlled and Emulsion-Free Chitosan-Genipin Microgels for Tissue Engineering Applications
Published on: April 13, 2022
Fabrication of Aligned Biomimetic Gellan Gum-Chitosan Microstructures through 3D Printed Microfluidic Channels and
Thomas M Robinson1, Sepehr Talebian1,2, Javad Foroughi1,3
1Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI), ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM), University of Wollongong, Innovation Campus, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
Abstract:
In this study we use a combination of ionic- and photo-cross-linking to develop a fabrication method for producing biocompatible microstructures using a methacrylated gellan gum (a polyanion) and chitosan (a polycation) in addition to lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP) as the photoinitiator. This work involves the development of a low-cost, portable 3D bioprinter and a customized extrusion mechanism for controlled introduction of the materials through a 3D printed microfluidic nozzle, before being cross-linked in situ to form robust microstructure bundles. The formed microstructures yielded a diameter of less than 1 μm and a tensile strength range of ∼1 MPa. This study is the first to explore and achieve GGMA:CHT microstructure fabrication by means of controlled in-line compaction and photo-cross-linking through 3D printed microfluidic channels.
