Simulation of the gelation process of hydrogel droplets in 3D bioprinting |
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| Authors: | Bei Zhou Yousef Heider Andreas Blaeser Stefan Raith Horst Fischer Bernd Markert |
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| Institution: | 1. Institute of General Mechanics, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 64, 52062 Aachen, Germany;2. Department of Dental Materials and Biomaterial Research, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Germany |
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| Abstract: | The aim of this work is to numerically simulate the gelation of a crosslinking polymer, which is a very complex process involving chemical reactions and phase transitions from a viscous fluid to a viscoelastic solid. A phenomenological model is proposed to simulate the gelation process of agarose droplets, considering the thermal boundary conditions. The numerical model is implemented using the finite element package FlexPDE. The temperature- and time-dependent degree of gelation and the deformation of the droplets during the gelation process are investigated. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) |
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