Table 2 Bioink evaluation and benchmarking. The generated bioinks have been qualitatively benchmarked on ten metrics, based on the requirements established by Paxton and Gatenholm [24, 30]. Each key ink composition was ranked from 0–10 on each metric, based on experimental observations; 10 being ‘perfect’ and 0 being ‘bad’. Metrics were included to evaluate BNC content of the formulations, and flexibility of the resulting dried material, which was assessed by creating a thin strip, and manually bending
From: Development of printable bacterial nanocellulose bioinks for bioprinting applications
Ink formulation | Alginate (control) | Alginate + CaCl2 (partially crosslinked) (Ref 1.1) | Alginate + CaCl2 (partially crosslinked) + BNC (Ref 1.2) | Alginate + BNC (Ref 1.3–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Drop (0) or fibre formation (10) | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Layer stacking or merging | 3 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 10 |
Flow initiation | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
Shear thinning | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Post-printing recovery | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Printability | 0 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
Cross linkable | 10 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
Post-print stability | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
BNC content (% scaled 0–10) | 0 | 0 | 2.3 | 7.2 |
Dried material properties – brittle (0) or flexible (10) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
Total score (100 max.) | 39 | 71.5 | 72.8 | 91.2 |