3D printing of photocurable poly(glycerol sebacate) elastomers

Three-dimensional (3D) printed scaffolds have great potential in biomedicine; however, it is important that we are able to design such scaffolds with a range of diverse properties towards specific applications. Here, we report the extrusion-based 3D printing of biodegradable and photocurable acrylated polyglycerol sebacate (Acr-PGS) to fabricate scaffolds with elastic properties. Two Acr-PGS macromers were synthesized with varied molecular weights and viscosity, which were then blended to obtain photocurable macromer inks with a range of viscosities. The quality of extruded and photocured scaffolds was dependent on the initial ink viscosity, with flow of printed material resulting in a loss of structural resolution or sample breaking observed with too low or too high viscosity inks, respectively. However, scaffolds with high print resolution and up to ten layers were fabricated with an optimal ink viscosity. The mechanical properties of printed scaffolds were dependent on printing density, where the scaffolds with lower printing density possessed lower moduli and failure properties than higher density scaffolds. The 3D printed scaffolds supported the culture of 3T3 fibroblasts and both spreading and proliferation were observed, indicating that 3D printed Acr-PGS scaffolds are cytocompatible. These results demonstrate that Acr-PGS is a promising material for the fabrication of elastomeric scaffolds for biomedical applications.