Researchers ‘Print’ Polymers That Bend Into 3-D Shapes
*Technique could be used to direct growth of blood vessels or tissues in the laboratory*
Christian Santangelo, Ryan Hayward and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently employed photographic techniques and polymer science to develop a new technique for printing two-dimensional sheets of polymers that can fold into three-dimensional shapes when water is added. The technique may lead to wide ranging practical applications from medicine to robotics
The journal Science publishes the research in its March 9 issue. (more…)