journal article·2025-10Open access

Green Light Vat‐Photopolymerisation for 3D Printing Hydrogels with Complex Lattice Structures

Livia M. Kalossaka, Ali A. Mohammed, Laura Bastos, Laura M. C. Barter, Connor W. Myant

Advanced Materials Technologies· Volume 10· Issue 19

Abstract

Abstract Moving beyond UV curing systems opens new potential application spaces such as biological, portable printing solutions, as well as innovative chemistries and material properties. A novel visible light printer is proposed for the first time using green Digital Light Processing (gDLP) at a wavelength of 514 nm. Green LED lights are integrated into a commercial desktop DLP printer to 3D print hydrogels with complex designs at high resolution. A workflow process is presented to develop and optimize formulations for gDLP, resulting in two novel in‐house photoresin formulations made specifically for green light printing. These formulations comprise with and without acrylamide, using a type II photoinitiating system of Eosin Y, triethylamine, and N‐vinylpyrrolidone. The photoresins are optimized to achieve highly vascularized lattice prints by modulating layer light exposure, chemical components, and photoinitiator concentrations. The gDLP successfully printed hydrogels with a layer height of 50 and feature dimensions as small as 0.3 mm by adjusting light duration per layer. 3D printed hydrogels using both formulations are tested for varying design complexity, including ISO/ASTM standards, and evaluated with optical imaging, SEM, and mechanical testing. This study highlights gDLP technology's potential for diverse applications in tissue engineering and sustainable materials.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies · Photopolymerization techniques and applications · 3D Printing in Biomedical Research

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Dyson School of Design Engineering Imperial College London South Kensington Campus London SW7 2AZ UK

Department of Chemistry Molecular Sciences Research Hub Imperial College London 82 Wood Lane London W12 0BZ UK

Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London South Kensington Campus London SW7 2AZ UK

School of Design Royal College of Art 1 Hester Rd London SW11 4AY UK

Institute of Chemical Biology Molecular Sciences Research Hub Imperial College London 82 Wood Lane London W12 0BZ UK

Funding

Leverhulme Trust · Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

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