Polymers and Particles: Printing, Structures, and Applications

This lecture explores the use of polymers in 3D printing, focusing on shear thinning behavior and viscoelastic properties for printing biomaterials. It delves into the functional unit of a nephron and the 3D printing of a kidney model. The discussion extends to the printing of hollow structures, shape memory polymers, programmable polymers using DNA structures, and reprogramming DNA interactions. The lecture also covers nanoparticles and microparticles, cellular uptake pathways, and the design of controlled drug release systems. Various types of nanoparticles, including lipid-based, gold-based, and DNA-based nanoparticles, are discussed, along with their structures and applications. The lecture concludes with a comparison between nanoparticles and microparticles in drug delivery systems.