Additive Manufacturing of Hydrogels

Abstract

Nowadays, additive manufacturing techniques play an essential role in many applications using nanoscale-based hydrogel materials, boosting their biological, physical, chemical, and mechanical properties due to their surface-to-volume ratio, low toxicity, biodegradability, quantum confinement, and mechanical stability.. Meanwhile, 3D printed nano hydrogel-based additive manufacturing raised its applications in biomedical, biosensors, human-machine interfaces, food safety, and point-of-care wearable electronics. This chapter highlights the introduction of additive manufacturing, processing steps for additive manufacturing, the history of additive manufacturing, and the importance of hydrogels. In addition, the role of nanomaterials in additive manufacturing 3D printed hydrogels, and their materials-based applications, including metals, metal oxides, carbon, and polymer-based composites, and their applications in biomedical, biosensors, lab-on-chip, and other applications include environmental monitoring applications and optical sensors. Finally, the challenges and future scope of 3D-printed hydrogels are also mentioned with conclusions.