Hydrogel Spraying

Cheersonic nozzles can be utilized to print three-dimensional hydrogel structures. Polymer and cross-linker are kept separate until meeting at the atomization surface, where spraying occurs, and gelation may occur sometime between that point and sitting on the substrate. This technique allows one to print using separate, relatively “thin” or dilute solutions of both materials, with potentially thin-film layer heights. Similar techniques can be applied to other polymers that gel, as well as to outright polymerization reactions that occur upon combining two or more solutions. This technique can potentially be utilized in conjunction with bioprinting, as well as for wound dressing or tissue scaffold production, in order to print objects with specific properties and composition(s), controlled agent release or degradation, resorption, or bioactivity-conducive features.