Emerging Technologies for Multiphoton Writing and Reading of Polymeric Architectures for Biomedical Applications

Area of Science:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Two-photon polymerization (TPP) is an additive manufacturing technique with growing importance in science and engineering.
• TPP provides unique 3D, free-form fabrication at the nanometer scale, making it suitable for complex biomedical applications.
• Increased accessibility through commercial systems has accelerated TPP adoption in research and development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the diverse biomedical applications enabled by two-photon polymerization.
• To present the current state of methods for patterning and characterizing 3D TPP-fabricated structures.
• To explore the role of machine learning in TPP process control and discuss future opportunities.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on two-photon polymerization in biomedical fields.
• Analysis of current techniques for fabricating and characterizing 3D TPP structures.
• Discussion of machine learning applications for optimizing TPP processes.

Main Results:

• TPP enables a wide range of biomedical applications due to its high resolution and 3D fabrication capabilities.
• Characterization methods (in situ and ex situ) are crucial for ensuring the fidelity of TPP-fabricated constructs.
• Machine learning shows promise for enhancing process control and efficiency in TPP.

Conclusions:

• Two-photon polymerization is a powerful technology for advanced biomedical applications.
• Further development in patterning, reading, and machine learning integration will drive future innovation.
• Significant challenges and opportunities exist for TPP in the evolving landscape of biomedical engineering.