Scientists at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University have developed specialized cell scaffolds to control stem cell growth and development.
In collaboration with colleagues from Perm National Research Polytechnic University, Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H. M. Berbekov, and National University of Science and Technology MISIS they have found a way to produce a 3D-printable composite material that generates an electric pulse and reacts to a magnetic field. The material is a composite based on PVDF fluoropolymer and CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles with magnetic properties.
Magnetoelectric composites convert magnetic effects into electric pulses. However, for practical use, a material for magnetoelectric applications needs a balance of a strong magnetoelectric response and manufacturability—it must remain easily printable on conventional FDM 3D printers.
The authors have created a new manufacturing method that preserves the material’s functional properties throughout the production process. The study determined an optimal recipe that enhances the material’s responsiveness to external magnetic fields, along with parameters that streamline 3D printing using the new composite and lower energy costs.
“This study marks an important step in the development of new magnetoelectric composites that can be used to fabricate innovative biomedical and electronic devices via 3D printing,” commented Petr Yershov, Research Associate at the Research & Education Center Smart Materials and Biomedical Applications and one of the paper’s co-authors.
The discovery is crucial for developing new “smart” materials that can be used in medical devices. For instance, such composites could be used to 3D-print specialized scaffolds—“structural frameworks” for cells—that make it possible to control the growth and differentiation of stem cells, according to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science.
