Advanced Biomaterials for Sensing and Drug Delivery
We have demonstrated a novel approach for layer-by-layer growth of materials using a laser direct writing process known as matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation- direct write (MAPLE-DW). In MAPLE-DW, pulses from a low-energy argon fluoride laser propel the biomaterial from the biomaterial-seeded ribbon to the underlying substrate.
Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation is another technique that has many benefits over dip coating, Langmuir-Blodgett dip coating, and spin coating for creating coatings containing drugs and other types of biomaterials. The thickness of the coating can be modified by altering the matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation processing parameters. In addition, the matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation process enables the roughness of the coating to be precisely controlled.
We have also recently demonstrated direct writing of three-dimensional structures for drug delivery and sensing via two photon polymerization. The quadratic character of the two photon absorption probability and the well-defined polymerization threshold allow biomaterials with sub-micrometer resolution to be prepared. Two photon polymerization has been used to prepare microneedles and other medical devices for drug delivery and sending.