Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing of 3D Scaffolds through C, H-Insertion Crosslinking in a One-Component Material...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Cell Biology
• Microfabrication

Background:

• Two-photon direct laser writing (2PLW) is popular for 3D microfabrication in biology.
• Residual monomers and photoinitiators in 2PLW structures pose challenges for biological applications.
• A need exists for biocompatible, impurity-free 3D microstructures for cell culture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the first use of high-precision 3D microstructures fabricated from a one-component material system for 3D cell culture.
• To develop a 3D cell culture platform free from monomers and photoinitiators.
• To assess the biocompatibility and cellular adhesion of the fabricated structures.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of 3D microstructures using two-photon direct laser writing (2PLW) with a one-component prepolymer system.
• The material system utilizes prepolymers with built-in crosslinkers, reacting with aliphatic C, H units upon two-photon excitation.
• Solvent-free direct laser writing enabled rapid fabrication (up to 500 mm/s) with micrometer feature sizes.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated high-precision 3D microstructures using a monomer- and photoinitiator-free system.
• Generated structures exhibited stiffness comparable to biological tissues.
• Demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and cellular adhesion without surface modification.

Conclusions:

• The novel one-component material system is suitable for creating safe and effective 3D cell culture platforms.
• This approach offers a promising method for fabricating complex, high-precision 3D cell culture scaffolds for biological research.
• Eliminating impurities enhances the suitability of 3D microstructures for sensitive biological applications.