Aqueous biological graphene based formulations for ink-jet printing

Abstract

The aim of the study was to produce heterophasic graphene nanoplatelets based formulation designed for ink-jet printing and biomedical applications. The compositions should meet two conditions: should be cytocompatible and have the rheological properties that allow to apply it with ink-jet printing technique. In view of the above conditions, the selection of suspensions components, such as binder, solvent and surfactants was performed. In the fi rst stage of the research the homogeneity of the dispersion of nanoplatelets and their sedimentation behaviour in diverse solutions were tested. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity of each ink on human mesenchymal stem cells was examined using the Alamar Blue Test. At the same time the rheology of the resulting suspensions was tested. As a result of these tests the best ink composition was elaborated: water, polyethylene glycol, graphene nanoplatelets and the surfactant from DuPont company.

Printed Graphene Layer as a Base for Cell Electrostimulation—Preliminary Results

“…Taking into account the cytocompatibility of the AKM-0531 surfactant (D2), confirmed in our previous work [ 25 ], the inks made with it can successfully be used in the cell cultures. The examination of the coatings’ micro- and macro-geometry showed no significant variances for coatings made with inks containing more than 5% of surfactant.…”

“…Concentrations of the surfactant with respect to the whole ink solution are presented in Table 4 below. Previous studies have shown that the layers produced with the developed inks have not caused toxic effects against cells [25]; thus, it seems certain that the layers used in the current work are cytocompatible. The layers were printed on two different substrates: a 25-µm-thick flexible Kapton film (DuPont, Inc.; Wilmington, DE, USA) and the polystyrene cell culture plates from Nest Scientific Biotechnology (Wuxi Nest Scientific Co., Ltd.; Wuxi, Jiangsu, China).…”

“…Concentrations of the surfactant with respect to the whole ink solution are presented in Table 4 below. Previous studies have shown that the layers produced with the developed inks have not caused toxic effects against cells [ 25 ]; thus, it seems certain that the layers used in the current work are cytocompatible.…”

“…The composition of the inks was selected on the basis of the results obtained in our previous research [ 25 ]. The graphene nanoplatelets manufactured by XG Science (XG Science, Inc.; Lansing, MI, USA) (GNP M25) with average particle dimensions of 20–25 μm and a thickness of 19 sheets of graphene were used as the material of the functional phase [ 26 ].…”

“…Due to the homogeneous dispersion of particles in the solution, homogenous surfaces are obtainable [ 5 ]. This can be achieved by using an appropriately selected (for a given application) surfactant [ 25 ]. Both the type of solvent (whether polar or nonpolar) and the type of dispersed phase (hydrophilic or lipophilic) affect the process of dispersion.…”