LAUSR

High-resolution 3D-printable hydrogels with high mechanical strength and biocompatibility are in great demand because of their potential applications in numerous fields. In this study, a material system comprising Pluronic F-127 dimethacrylate (FDMA) was developed to function as a direct ink writing (DIW) hydrogel for 3D printing. FDMA is a triblock copolymer that transforms into micelles at elevated temperatures. The transformation increased the viscosity of FDMA and preserved its structure during DIW 3D printing, whereupon the printed structure was solidified through photopolymerization. Because of this viscosity shift, various functionalities could be incorporated through the addition of other materials in the solution state. Acrylic acid was incorporated into the pre-gel solution to enhance the mechanical strength, because the carboxylate group of poly(acrylic acid) ionically crosslinks with Fe3+ , increasing the toughness of the DIW hydrogel 37 times to 2.46 MJ.m-3 . Tough conductive hydrogels were also 3D printed by homogenizing poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate into the pre-gel solution. Furthermore, the FDMA platform developed herein uses DIW, which facilitates multi-cartridges 3D printing, and because all the materials included are biocompatible, the platform may be used to fabricate complex structures for biological applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.