MRS Bulletin Materials News Podcast

To 3D-print implants to repair the spinal cord in rats, the research group uses a silicon chip with four million microscopic mirrors to shine UV light in a three-dimensional pattern based on a digital MRI image of the wound. The light falls onto a mixture of poly(ethylene) glycol and gelatin methacrylate, which solidifies into the shape of the wound. The method is thousands of times faster than conventional 3D printing techniques, which makes structures one drop or one layer at a time.