Discontinuous 3D Printing of Amorphous Photonic Crystal Hydrogels for Multifunctional Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Amorphous photonic crystals (APCs) provide angle-independent structural color for sensing applications.
• Fabricating 3D APCs with disordered structures is difficult due to particle self-assembly.
• Existing methods struggle to achieve precise 3D control over disordered photonic materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a 3D printing strategy for fabricating disordered APC hydrogels.
• To integrate polymer nanospheres and MXene nanosheets for advanced material properties.
• To enable reliable sensing and responsive functionalities for wound management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a discontinuous digital light processing 3D printing technique.
• Combined discrete ink reflow and rapid curing for hydrogel construction.
• Incorporated single-sized polymer nanospheres and MXene nanosheets into the hydrogel matrix.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated disordered APC hydrogels with tunable structural color.
• Achieved angle-independent structural color responsive to moisture but not mechanical strain.
• Demonstrated complementary optical and electrical responses to stimuli.
• Validated hydrogel performance in diabetic wound models for electrical stimulation and swelling detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D printing strategy enables precise fabrication of functional disordered APC hydrogels.
• The hydrogels offer reliable, strain-independent visual sensing and dual-mode responsiveness.
• This approach presents a generalizable platform for precise intervention and real-time monitoring in wound care.