抄録
Microstereolithography is a well known method for three dimensional microfabrication. Despite wide needs for microdevices from biotechnological and medical industries, microstereolithography cannot be applied to those fields because photocurable resins used in conventional stereolithography system are not cytocompatibile. To overcome this problem, we have been working on new post-bake process to provide cytocompatibility to conventional photocurable resin.
In this report, stereolithographic objects with transparency and cytocompatibility were realized by a high temperature post-bake process in nitrogen atmosphere. By using MTT assay, precise post-bake conditions both in air and nitrogen were investigated. Transparency of post-baked photocurable resin was increased by processing in nitrogen atmosphere. In addition, the aqueous solution of the generated gas during post-bake process and the eluted substance from non-treated Photocurable resin had the same spectrum peak at around 245 nm. This result indicated that cytotoxicity of photocurable resin was reduced due to sublimation and diffusion of cytotoxicic substances from cured photocurable resin.
The new post-bake process developed herein should be a fundamental fabrication technology for future development of medical micromachines, portable health care devices and tissue engineering devices.
