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REVIEW ARTICLE

3D printing of hydrogel composite systems: Recent

advances in technology for tissue engineering

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Tae-Sik Jang , Hyun-Do Jung , Houwen Matthew Pan , Win Tun Han , Shengyang Chen ,
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Juha Song 1*
School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Liquid Processing & Casting Technology R&D Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Incheon, Republic of
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Korea
Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) printing of hydrogels is now an attractive area of research due to its capability to
fabricate intricate, complex and highly customizable scaffold structures that can support cell adhesion and promote cell
infiltration for tissue engineering. However, pure hydrogels alone lack the necessary mechanical stability and are too easily
degraded to be used as printing ink. To overcome this problem, significant progress has been made in the 3D printing of
hydrogel composites with improved mechanical performance and biofunctionality. Herein, we provide a brief overview of
existing hydrogel composite 3D printing techniques including laser based-3D printing, nozzle based-3D printing, and inkjet
printer based-3D printing systems. Based on the type of additives, we will discuss four main hydrogel composite systems in
this review: polymer- or hydrogel-hydrogel composites, particle-reinforced hydrogel composites, fiber-reinforced hydrogel
composites, and anisotropic filler-reinforced hydrogel composites. Additionally, several emerging potential applications
of hydrogel composites in the field of tissue engineering and their accompanying challenges are discussed in parallel.
Keywords: hydrogel composites; 3D printing; tissue engineering

*Correspondence to: Juha Song, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 70 Nanyang Drive,
637457, Singapore; songjuha@ntu.edu.sg
#The co-authors have equally contributed to the manuscript

Received: September 30, 2017; Accepted: November 22, 2017; Published Online: January 19, 2017
Citation: Jang T-S, Jung H D, Pan H W, et al., 2018, 3D printing of hydrogel composite systems: Recent advances in
technology for tissue engineering. Int J Bioprint, 4(1): 126. http://dx.doi.org/10.18063/IJB.v4i1.126

1. Introduction has been multiple attempts to replicate the complexity
of anatomical systems in the human body for tissue
Since the advent of the first three-dimensional (3D) printing replacement and regeneration which requires complete
system, formerly known as additive manufacturing or rapid restoration of 3D anatomical geometry [2,4] . However,
prototyping, in 1986, the manufacturing industry has without artificial or transplant supports, rapid and extensive
undergone significant transformations, requiring now less reconstruction of vital organs in the human body remains a
time, energy, and producing less waste with the ability daunting challenge in tissue engineering .
[5]
to directly fabricate 3D prototypes from computer-aided 3D printed scaffolds play an essential role in supporting
designs [1–3] . This fascinating ability to create 3D structures cell adhesion and promoting cell infiltration within their
has already taken fabrication technology to a new level, porous matrix . Moreover, during the tissue reconstruction
[6]
especially in the field of tissue engineering. Over the past process, scaffolds are able to provide mechanical support
two decades, with the development of medical imaging against stressful environments of the human body
technologies, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance maintaining sufficient space for the tissue reconstruction
[7]
imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT), there and remodeling . Currently, the most widely used scaffold
3D Printing of hydrogel composite systems: Recent advances intechnology for tissue engineering.© 2018 Jang T-S, et al.. This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc/4.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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