Thermoplastic polymer composition for micro 3D printing and uses thereof
View Patent ↗A composition for extrusion and deposition by a three-dimensional (3D) printer is provided. The composition comprises a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), particulate matter having particles in the range of about 5 nm to about 10 μm in diameter, and a solvent. Uses of the composition for 3D printing microstructures, including multiwall plate devices, are also provided.
1. A composition for extrusion and deposition by a three-dimensional (3D) printer, the composition comprising: a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), particulate matter having particles in the range of about 5 nm to about 10 μm in diameter, and a solvent comprising at least one of toluene or chloroform, wherein the TPE is poly(styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) (SEBS), wherein the composition is useable for 3D printing of a biocompatible micro-scale structure.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particulate matter comprises quantum dots (QDs).
3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the QDs are CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots.
4. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the QDs are stabilized with octadecylamine ligands.
5. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the QDs are in the range of about 3 nm to about 10 nm in diameter.
6. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the concentration of QDs by weight in the TPE is in the range of about 0.01% to about 10%.
7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particulate matter comprises particles having a property to enable detectability based on at least one of:
fluorescence;
conductivity; or
magnetism.
8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particulate matter comprises at least one of: polystyrene micro-particles, polyester micro-particles, rhodamine, or carbon dot-based fluorophore.
9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particulate matter comprises at least one of: single carbon nanotubes, multiwall carbon nanotubes, carbon tubes, graphene, gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, or platinum nanowire.
10. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the particulate matter comprises at least one of iron oxide nanoparticulate, FePt, NdFeB or SmCo5 alloys, or cobalt nanoparticles.
11. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition has a viscosity in the range of about 10 Ns/m 2 to about 10,000 Ns/m 2 under shearing.
12. Use of a composition for 3D printing a biocompatible micro-scale structure, wherein the composition comprises a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), particulate matter having particles in the range of about 5 nm to about 10 μm in diameter, and a solvent comprising at least one of toluene or chloroform, wherein the TPE is poly (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) (SEBS).
13. The use of claim 12 , wherein the micro-scale structure is in the range of about 10 μm to about 200 μm in size.
14. The use of claim 12 , for printing micro-wires onto a microwell plate, wherein the micro-wires are about 60 μm in diameter.
15. The use of claim 12 , for printing micro-wires onto a microwell plate at a 3D printing speed of about 1 mm/s to about 20 mm/s.
16. The use of claim 15 , for printing the micro-wires onto the microwell plate at a 3D printing temperature of about 200° C. to about 220° C., and a 3D printing pressure in the range of about 0.1 MPa to about 0.5 MPa.
17. An apparatus for cultivation of cells, comprising:
a substrate; and
a biocompatible micro-scale structure that is extruded and deposited on the substrate using a 3D printing process, wherein a composition is 3D printed on the substrate to create the micro-scale structure, and wherein the composition comprises a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), particulate matter having particles in the range of about 5 nm to about 10 μm in diameter, and a solvent comprising at least one of toluene or chloroform, wherein the TPE is poly (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) (SEBS).
18. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is obtained by:
mixing the TPE and at least a portion of the particulate matter in the solvent to obtain a nanocomposite solution;
allowing at least a portion of the solvent to evaporate from the nanocomposite solution; and
baking a remainder of the nanocomposite solution to obtain the composition.
19. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is useable for 3D printing of the biocompatible micro-scale structure that has a Young's modulus in the range of 500-850 kPa.