Granular Hydrogels Composed of Modified Jammed Microgels For 3D Printing Applications

Fabrication of three dimentional (3D) printable robust and superabsorbent gelatin-based hydrogels still remains a challenge due to lack of locally dissipative points in the presence of large water content. A synthesis strategy through which not onle the toughening mechanism is active closely at the crack tip, but also facilitates the adhesion of particles to each other is dicolesed here. The desired interactions guarantee the interaction of microgels within the as-extruded filaments and with the adjacent deposited layers as well, a key factor to achieve high shape-fidelity during 3D printing. The prepared hydrogels exhibited energy loss and swelling ratio up to 3440 J. m-3 and 830 %, respectively. Generally, a variety of features including printability, rheological properties and shape-retention are dependent on the fraction of hydrophobic segments introduced over the microgel surfaces and the meethod of crosslinking.