Bio-Reactive Objects Based on Chemical Inks
The present disclosure provides, among other things, biologically-based ink compositions for ink-jet printing applications, methods of making the biocompatible ink compositions, as well as articles, objects, devices, and apparatuses that comprise or are manufactured from comprise the biocompatible ink composition. Some aspects of the present disclosure provide a biologically-based ink composition that comprises a silk fibroin solution having a concentration of silk fibroin in a range of 0.1 wt% to at least about 10 wt%. The biologically-based ink composition further includes a thickening agent and a humectant dispersed throughout the composition, where the thickening agent comprises a polysaccharide. Piezoelectric-driven inkjet printing, on the other hand, does not utilize masking equipment and is generally tailored to achieve smaller resolutions and printed areas. Specifically, it allows direct transfer of features with sizes in the order of tens of micrometers through drop-bydrop delivery of functionalized inks. Advantages of inkjet printing include low material consumption, versatility, precise droplet-size deposition, and compatibility in both ink composition and typology of a substrate. However, the restricted size (i.e., depending on the nozzle) of the active molecule to be transferred, the limited rheology (i.e., viscosity) of the material to be printed, and the eventual high volatility of the solvents used, are the main drawbacks that hamper a widespread diffusion of this printing technique.
US Provisional Patent Application 62/650,950 filed 3/30/2018