title: Soft Polymers for Building up Small and Smallest Blood Supplying Systems by Stereolithography.
abstract: Synthesis of a homologous series of photo-polymerizable α,w-polytetrahydrofuranether-diacrylate (PTHF-DA) resins is described with characterization by NMR, GPC, DSC, soaking and rheometrical measurements. The curing speeds of the resins are determined under UV light exposure. Young's modulus and tensile strength of fully cured resins show flexible to soft material attributes dependent on the molar mass of the used linear PTHF-diacrylates. Structuring the materials by stereo lithography (SL) and multiphoton polymerization (MPP) leads to tubes and bifurcated tube systems with a diameter smaller than 2 mm aimed at small to smallest supplying systems with capillary dimensions. WST-1 biocompatibility tests ofm polymer extracts show nontoxic characteristics of the adapted polymers after a washing process. Some polymers show shape memory effect (SME).
authors: Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr 69, Potsdam 14476, Germany. wolfdietrich.meyer@iap.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Wolfdietrich
authors: W
authors: Meyer
authors: Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, RWTH Aachen, Steinbachstraße 15, Aachen 52074, Germany. sascha.engelhardt@ilt.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Sascha
authors: S
authors: Engelhardt
authors: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB), Nobelstraße 12, Stuttgart 70569, Germany. esther.novosel@igb.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Esther
authors: E
authors: Novosel
authors: Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr 69, Potsdam 14476, Germany. burkhard.elling@iap.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Burkhard
authors: B
authors: Elling
authors: Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr 69, Potsdam 14476, Germany. michael.wegener@iap.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Wegener
authors: Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Polymer Research (IAP), Geiselbergstr 69, Potsdam 14476, Germany. hartmut.krueger@iap.fraunhofer.de.
authors: Hartmut
authors: H
authors: Krüger