High-precision 3D printing of multi-branch vascular scaffold with plasticized PLCL thermoplastic elastomer
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has emerged as a transformative technology for tissue engineering, enabling the production of structures that closely emulate the intricate architecture and mechanical properties of native biological tissues. However, the fabrication of complex microstructures with high accuracy using biocompatible, degradable thermoplastic elastomers poses significant technical obstacles. This is primarily due to the inherent soft-matter nature of such materials, which complicates real-time control of micro-squeezing, resulting in low fidelity or even failure. In this study, we employ Poly (L-lactide-co-ϵ-caprolactone) (PLCL) as a model material and introduce a novel framework for high-precision 3D printing based on the material plasticization process. This approach significantly enhances the dynamic responsiveness of the start-stop transition during printing, thereby reducing harmful errors by up to 93%. Leveraging this enhanced material, we have efficiently fabricated arrays of multi-branched vascular scaffolds that exhibit exceptional morphological fidelity and possess elastic moduli that faithfully approximate the physiological modulus spectrum of native blood vessels, ranging from 2.5 to 45 MPa. The methodology we propose for the compatibilization and modification of elastomeric materials addresses the challenge of real-time precision control, representing a significant advancement in the domain of melt polymer 3D printing. This innovation holds considerable promise for the creation of detailed multi-branch vascular scaffolds and other sophisticated organotypic structures critical to advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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PLCL scaffolds exhibit high structural fidelity and good mechanical properties, meeting construction of complex organ model structures in clinical applications.
“This scaffold exhibits high structural fidelity and good mechanical properties, which can meet the construction of complex organ model structure in clinical applications [155].”
From Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering (2026) · cites this paper as [155]
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- Authors
- Han, Y., Wang, H., Guan, Y., Li, S., Yuan, Z., Lu, L., & Zheng, X.
- Affiliations
- Shenyang Institute of Automation (CN)
- Harbin Institute of Technology (CN)
- Shenyang University of Technology (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Zheng, Xiongfei
- Venue
- Biomedical Materials
- Publisher
- IOP Publishing
- Published
- 2024-04-30
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 035042
- ISSN
- 1748-6041 (ISSN-L)
- 1748-605X
- OpenAlex
- W4394907535
- Cited by
- 7
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2
- FWCI
- 0.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Biomedical Materials (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Robotics (2022-Z04)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (52205319)
- Research Equipment Development Program of CAS (YJKYYQ20190045)
- National Key Research and Development Program of China Stem Cell and Translational Research (SQ2020YFB130100)
- CAS Project for Young Scientists in Basic Research (YSBR-041)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › biodegradable polymer synthesis and properties
- Keywords
- 3D printing, vascular scaffolds, PLCL, thermoplastic elastomers, elastic modulus, biodegradable polymers, tissue engineering scaffolds, compatibilization
- MeSH terms
- Biocompatible Materials, Blood Vessel Prosthesis, Blood Vessels, Humans, Materials Testing, Polyesters, Stress, Mechanical, Elastomers, Tissue Engineering, Tissue Scaffolds, Elastic Modulus, Printing, Three-Dimensional
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