Two-photon microfabrication of structures containing

We present the two-photon microfabrication of structures containing the bio-polymer Chitosan, using a guest/host scheme. The host resin we used consists of tris(2-hydroxyethyl)isocyanurate triacrylate and ethoxylated(6) trimethyl-lolpropane triacrylate. As guest material we used the Chitosan, which is a linear cationic polysaccharide obtained by deacetylation of chitin, a structural polysaccharide normally encountered in crustaceans. There are several potential applications for chitosan, mainly due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. We induced the two-photon absorption polymerization with a Ti:sapphire laser oscillator that produces 130-fs pulses at 800 nm. The approach employed here is a promising alternative for the fabrication of scaffolds containing biopolymers. Tailor-made scaffolds for tissue engineering and bone reconstruction can be fabricated in short time using two-photon polymerization, opening new venues for advanced drug delivery and tissue regeneration.