title: Photoinitiator-free 3D scaffolds fabricated by excimer laser photocuring.
abstract: Photoinitiator-free fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) scaffolds is achieved using a novel three-dimensional (3D) printing method called mask projected excimer laser stereolithography (MPExSL). The spatial resolution of photoinitiator-free curing is suitable for 3D layer-by-layer fabrication with a single layer thickness well controllable at tens to hundreds of microns using 248 nm wavelength for the irradiation. The photoinitiator-free scaffolds are superior compared to their counterparts fabricated by using photoinitiator molecules, showing a higher level of biocompatibility. A release of toxic chemicals from the photoinitiator containing scaffolds is proven by cell proliferation tests. In contrast, no toxic release is found from the photoinitiator-free scaffolds, resulting in the very same level of cell proliferation as the control sample. The demonstration of photoinitiator-free PEGDA scaffolds enables the fabrication of 3D scaffolds with the highest level of biocompatibility for both in vitro and in vivo applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Via Morego 30, 16163 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: Balázs
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farkas
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dante
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brandi