A07 | Fiber-reinforced hydrogels
The subproject deals with the bilateral task of improved shape fidelity and cell viability in biofabrication by applying fiber-reinforced hydrogels as bioinks. Thereby, fiber fragments which can be used both, as cell carriers and for matrix-reinforcement, are produced by electrospinning. Strikingly, the morphology of the fibers plays a significant role for cell behavior (adhesion, proliferation, alignment) as well as for the rheological and mechanical properties of the composite (flow behavior, spreading kinetics, strength), which will be investigated analytically within the project. The obtained results will allow for a systematic improvement of bioinks, which can furthermore be transferred to other materials.
