Microfluidics for 3D printing
File(s)
Presentation
Author(s)
Kumar, Swapnil
Maharjan, Sushila
Mainardi, Valerio Luca
Zhang, Y Shrike
Abstract
Microfluidics based coaxial bioprinting is one of the emerging research areas to develop living tissues and organs. The work focuses on the fluid dynamic evaluation for the coaxial bioprinting through computational simulations, assessing fluid streamline and fluid velocity distribution for the optimised system design (i.e., Two different system designs have been formulated, and analysed to observe which system design is the best fit for the coaxial bioprinting process, since higher velocity at the end of nozzle system results in the distorted structures). The model consists of three domains: Top inner channel where calcium chloride (CaCl2) is flowing, middle lateral channel and bottom lateral channel where two different compositions of alginate-gelatine hydrogel are flowing. A symmetry boundary condition was set on the symmetrical plane, and a no-slip condition was set on the system walls, where the fluid velocity was constrained to zero, while a zero-pressure condition was set on the system outlets. Tetrahedral physics-controlled mesh optimization and steady-state simulations have been performed considering aqueous solutions with density and viscosity at 37 °C. Inlet mass flow rates were defined to match the experimental condition of 400 μL/min, 100 μL/min, and 200 μL/min for CaCl2, alginate-gelatine hydrogel 1, and alginate-gelatine hydrogel 2, respectively. The major outcome of the research is to calculate the velocity of the at the end of nozzle as it facilitates the bioprinting research in terms of developing the single walled and multiwalled layered structures, and the research also serves as a background to control the velocity of at the end of nozzle by optimally changing the mass flow rate of Calcium chloride and hydrogel, to develop efficient single walled and multiwalled layered structures.
Date Issued
2023
Citation
2023
Identifier
https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/swapnil.kumar22
Coverage Spatial
Harvard Medical School, Harvard University