Research Article

Characterization and Application of Carboxymethyl Chitosan-Based Bioink in Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Figure 3

(a) Printed samples with different chitosan : modified chitosan (CE) ratios. Images on the left, from top to bottom, show highly viscous bioink resulting in a discontinuous print, highly viscous bioink printed using a large diameter needle resulting in an inaccurate print, and low-viscous bioink incapable of holding its shape after printing. Image on the right shows an accurate printed structure with a chitosan : CE ratio of 90 : 10. (b) Micrographs of a printed five-layer hydrogel from various angles, showing the bonding of the layers. The chitosan/CE conjugate ratio of the sample shown is 90 : 10. The mesh size is , and the diameter of the printing needle is 0.5 mm. .
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