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Description
Stereolithography enables high-resolution scaffold fabrication, but commercial photopolymer resins often lack the flexibility and biological performance required for tissue engineering. This study developed SLA-printable blends of medical-grade Biomed Clear resin with 5, 10, and 15 wt% polycaprolactone (PCL), using polyethylene glycol 400 as a plasticizer. The printed materials were evaluated through elemental, thermal, mechanical, and in vitro biological analyses.
Increasing PCL content reduced the onset degradation temperature from 270.5°C for pure Biomed Clear to 193°C for the 15% PCL blend, while the main degradation stage remained governed by the Biomed Clear matrix. Shore D hardness decreased from 76.0 to 45.3, demonstrating a clear transition toward greater flexibility. Biological testing with PANC-1 cells showed a concentration- and time-dependent improvement in cellular metabolic activity. At 72 hours, the 15% PCL formulation reached 63.9% relative activity, compared with 32.1% and 24.2% for the 10% and 5% formulations, respectively.
These results demonstrate that PCL concentration provides an effective route for tuning the thermal, mechanical, and cellular-response properties of SLA-printed scaffolds. The 15% PCL blend produced the best balance of flexibility and biological performance, supporting its potential for soft-tissue scaffolds and in vitro tumor-model applications.
| Topic Area | Design Optimization, Additive Manufacturing Technologies & Applications |
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