{"id":59236,"date":"2024-08-20T00:01:52","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T22:01:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=59236"},"modified":"2024-08-20T10:33:23","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T08:33:23","slug":"microalgae-ink-environmentally-friendly-3d-printing-medicine-200820244","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/microalgae-ink-environmentally-friendly-3d-printing-medicine-200820244\/","title":{"rendered":"Microalgae Ink Could Be Used for Environmentally-Friendly 3D Printing in Healthcare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Microalgae are a diverse group of microorganisms that photosynthesize and are estimated to produce around 50% of the world’s oxygen. As a renewable raw material, they already have numerous applications, for example in food production or energy generation. But now another exciting field of application is opening up for microalgae, as they could play a key role in medicine<\/a> thanks to the use of 3D printing.<\/p>\n

An international research team led by Prof. Dr. Eva Blasco from the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials at Heidelberg University has developed the first microalgae ink for laser 3D printing of complex, biocompatible microstructures. Prof. Dr. Blasco emphasizes that petrochemical-based polymers have mainly been used so far, especially in the two-photon polymerization<\/a> required for the production of microstructures. These polymers contribute to the depletion of fossil fuels, the release of greenhouse gases and often the use of toxic components. In contrast, the novel microalgae ink represents an environmentally friendly alternative.<\/p>\n

\"Mikroalgen-Tinte

Diatoms and aquatic microorganisms<\/p><\/div>\n

Two types of algae were used that are particularly rich in fats in the form of triglycerides and are therefore ideal as \u201cbiofactories\u201d for the production of sustainable materials: the diatom Odontella aurita and the green algae Tetraselmis striata. To produce the microalgae ink, the triglycerides are extracted from the algae and functionalized with acrylates to enable rapid curing. When exposed to light, the photoactive green dyes trigger a chemical reaction that hardens the microalgae ink. \u201cIn this way we avoid using potentially toxic additives like the photoinitiators used in conventional inks,\u201d<\/em> explains Clara Vazquez-Martel, PhD student in Eva Blasco’s research group at IMSEAM.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

To finally test the biocompatibility of the microalgae ink, the researchers carried out experiments with cell structures. This involved producing 3D micro-scaffolds on which cells were cultivated for 24 hours – with an impressive survival rate of 100%. \u201cOur results open up new possibilities not only for more sustainable 3D printing with light, but also for life science applications \u2013 from 3D cell cultures to biocompatible implants,\u201d<\/em> emphasizes Prof. Blasco.<\/p>\n

\"Mikroalgen-Tinte

With microalgae ink, complex 3D microstructures can be produced with remarkable quality and precision using 3D printing (photo credits: \u00a9 Clara Vazquez-Martel)<\/p><\/div>\n

In the future, microalgae ink could be used in medicine to produce precise micro- and nanostructures or as the basis for implants and scaffolds for 3D cell cultures. Due to its high resolution, it also offers potential for applications in optics, photonics, microfluidics and biomedicine. Thanks to its biocompatibility, it is particularly suitable for printing products that come into contact with living tissue.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the new materials can protect the environment, as algae grow back quickly and produce carbon dioxide during cultivation. \u201cDespite their advantages, microalgae have hardly been considered as raw materials for light-based 3D printing,\u201d<\/em> explains Prof. Blasco, who conducts research with her group at the interface of macromolecular chemistry, materials science and 3D nanofabrication.<\/p>\n

The research work was carried out in the \u201c3D Matter Made to Order\u201d Cluster of Excellence, a collaboration between Heidelberg University and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Researchers from KIT and the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria were also involved. You can find out more about the research HERE<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you think of using microalgae ink for 3D printing? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and Twitter<\/a> pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly newsletter here<\/a> for the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube<\/a> channel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microalgae are a diverse group of microorganisms that photosynthesize and are estimated to produce around 50% of the world’s oxygen. As a renewable raw material, they already have numerous applications, for example in food production or energy generation. But now…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6077,"featured_media":59242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medical","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6077"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59433,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59236\/revisions\/59433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}