Light-based 3D printing techniques applied to panthenol-derived polymers

• Grant number: 22/09992-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: October 27, 2022
• End date: October 26, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Organic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique Catalani
• Grantee: Isabela Lima Autran Dourado
• Supervisor: Sandra Van Vlierberghe
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Ghent University (UGent), Belgium
• Associated to the scholarship: 18/12602-9 - Synthesis and photocrosslinking of unsaturated polyesters derived from isosorbide and panthenol for 3D printing of resorbable medical devices, BP.DD

Abstract

This work aims to study the 3D printing of biocompatible panthenol-based resins with different light-based techniques, such as Digital Light Processing (DLP), Two-Photon Polymerization (2PP) and Computed Axial Lithography (CAL, also referred to as Volumetric 3D Printing). The scaffolds printed using these light-based modalities will be compared and explored concerning their morphological, chemical, mechanical, and biological properties. The biomedical field has been showing a special demand for safe materials that can be used with complex architecture in tissue regeneration. Light-based 3D printing of photocurable biodegradable materials is of great interest because of the final scaffolds' high resolution and speed of fabrication. Despite the several photosensitive materials developed in the last years, there is no commercially available resin "off the shelf" that is, in addition to being biocompatible, and biodegradable. Recently, our Laboratory of Polymeric Biomaterials (LBP) group, at IQ-USP, has developed a photocurable system based on an unprecedented panthenol-derived polymer. Panthenol is a highly biocompatible compound, which has a pivotal role as a B5 pro-vitamin in a plethora of metabolic processes. Photocrosslinkable capabilities of acrylate panthenol-based systems have been explored in our group only in two-dimensional objects, such as films. Nevertheless, when it comes to three-dimensional scaffolds, numerous challenges arise. In this project, we will be able to investigate these systems of printing in DLP, 2PP, and CAL 3D printers. It is worth highlighting that 2PP and CAL 3D printing are techniques that have important specificities: the first stands out for its highest spatial resolution (in order of submicron); the latter one, which was first published in 2019, stands out for its very short printing time, reducing dramatically residence times.In this context, the PBM-UGent, under the leadership of Prof. Sandra Van Vlieberghe and Prof. Peter Dubruel, is considered a reference in the field. They actively focus on polymer synthesis, functionalization, processing, and characterizations of polymers, and show expertise in various 3D printing techniques, which include light-based (stereolithography, DLP, 2PP, and CAL) and extrusion-based 3D printing (combined or not with cells). (AU)