Bioinspired 3D Printing of Functional Materials by Harnessing Enzyme‐Induced Biomineralization

Making 3D functional materials by copying nature

31 August 2022

By imitating nature, researchers have produced 3D printed functional materials with sophisticated architectures whose structures and mechanical properties can be easily tailored.

Nature has mastered the art of producing materials with hierarchical structures made up of organic and inorganic components. It does this through a process known as biomineralization in which mineral crystals are deposited in the matrices of living organisms. But this has been hard replicate in the lab.

Now, a team led by researchers from SUSTech in Shenzhen, China, has shown how mineralization can be induced by enzymes in a 3D printed structure made from a hydrogel.

Using this technique, they were able to readily produce various sophisticated structures, including one that could potentially be used for bone reconstruction.

The method is inexpensive and versatile, making it attractive for fabricating next-generation functional materials, the researchers say.

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References

1. Advanced Functional Materials 32, 2113262 (2022). doi: 10.1002/adfm.202113262