Pickering emulgels reinforced with host–guest supramolecular inclusion complexes for high fidelity direct ink writing

openaire: EC/H2020/788489/EU//BioELCell Lisään tiedoston kun VoR julkaistaan B. P., S. F. and M. A. gratefully acknowledge the Max Planck Society for financial support. B. P. would like to thank Branislav Jeriga for preparing some of the CNC samples. A. R. and O. R. acknowledge funding support by the Academy of Finland’s Biofuture 2025 program under project 2228357-4 (3D Manufacturing of Novel Biomaterials). O. J. R. is grateful for the support received from the ERC Advanced Grant Agreement No. 788489 (‘‘BioElCell’’), the Canada Excellence Research Chair initiative (CERC-2018-00006), and Canada Foundation for Innovation (Project number 38623). R. A. acknowledges funding from the FinnCERES GoGlobal mobility fund. This work made use of the facilities of Aalto University’s Nanomicroscopy Center. Open Access funding provided by the Max Planck Society Direct ink writing (DIW) of Pickering emulsions offers great potential for constructing on-demand objects. However, the rheological properties of fluid emulsions greatly undermines the shape fidelity and structural integrity of 3D-printed structures. We solve here these challenges and realize a new route towards complex constructs for actual deployment. A dynamic, supramolecular host-guest hydrogel based on poly(ethylene glycol) and α-cyclodextrin was synthesized in the continuous phase of cellulose nanocrystal-stabilized Pickering emulsions. The storage modulus of the obtained emulgels could reach up to ∼113 kPa, while being shear thinning and yielding precise printability. Diverse complex architectures were possible with high shape fidelity and structural integrity. The printed objects, for example a double-wall cylinder with 75 layers, demonstrated excellent dimensional stability (shrinkage of 7 ± 2% after freeze-drying). With the merits of a simple fabrication process and the high biocompatibility of all the components, the concept of dynamic supramolecular hydrogel-reinforced emulgels represent a potentially versatile route to construct new materials and structures VIA DIW for use in bioproducts and biomedical devices.