Tunable Methacrylated Chitosan Hydrogels for Dynamic Loading

In recent years there has been a tremendous push to seek out more sustainable materials across nearly all fields. As such, materials that were previously classified as waste materials are being reexamined for new uses. Chitin and Chitosan are molecules typically found in the waste products of mushrooms and crustacean shells and demonstrate excellent mechanical properties with a reported Young’s moduli of 126.9 GPa and 191 GPa respectively. Additionally, the absence of acetyl groups in Chitosan allows for greater flexibility regarding chemical modification. In this study, we demonstrate a tunable enhancement of the mechanical properties of hydrogels formed from methacrylated Chitosan. We present a technique to contextualize hydrogel formation in consumer-accessible dynamic light processing 3D printers, with demonstrated resolution up to 50 µm. Curing time, degree of crosslinking, and encapsulating media for the gel have been modified to demonstrate the wide array of applications of this technology. The high versatility of this technology enables its application to a wide array of dynamic loading systems including but not limited to defense and body armor applications.