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Printing Thermoresponsive Reverse Molds for the Creation of Patterned Two-component Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture
Published on: July 10, 2013
An open-source 3D printing system enabling in-situ freeze-thaw processing of hydrogels
Guangteng Zhang1, Yadong Chen2, Meichen Wang1
1School of Electrical Engineering, Shenyang University of Technology, 111 Shenliao West Road, Shenyang, 110870, China.
Scientific Reports
|July 1, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed an affordable, open-source 3D printing system for fabricating hydrogel scaffolds. This innovative platform enables in-situ processing, overcoming limitations of expensive commercial systems and improving accessibility for tissue engineering applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- 3D Printing Technologies
Background:
- Hydrogels offer excellent biocompatibility for tissue engineering scaffolds.
- Low-temperature 3D printing enhances hydrogel scaffold shape retention.
- Existing commercial systems are costly, closed-source, and require multi-step processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a low-cost, open-source 3D printing platform for hydrogel scaffold fabrication.
- To enable in-situ freezing and freeze-thaw processing for hydrogels.
- To overcome the limitations of current commercial low-temperature 3D printing systems.
Main Methods:
- Modified a commercial fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer with custom hardware and software.
- Integrated a stable low-temperature control system (–30°C ± 1°C).
- Utilized a Poly(vinyl alcohol)-lignosulfonate sodium-TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (PVA-LS-TOCNF) hydrogel ink.
Main Results:
- Achieved stable 3D printing of complex hydrogel patterns and mechanical test specimens.
- Demonstrated comparable tensile properties to scaffolds processed via ex-situ freeze-thaw methods.
- Successfully implemented in-situ freezing and freeze-thaw processing.
Conclusions:
- The developed open-source platform significantly reduces the cost and complexity of low-temperature hydrogel 3D printing.
- In-situ processing capabilities improve structural integrity and reduce contamination risks.
- Enhanced accessibility for researchers and developers in tissue engineering and biomaterials.
