The fellow created bio-sourced protein-based resins for vat photopolymerization through a simple "in situ" functionalization to make proteins printable. In addition, she developed a universal method to determine the printability of resins for vat photopolymerization 3D printing within MSCA-4D BIOGEL by using rheometry. She took advantage of the native conformation of proteins to create natural bioplastics with mechanical properties comparable to commercial plastics. Likewise, she used the natural conformation of these macromolecules that are an essential part of all living organisms, for shape transformation purpose. Additionally, new engineered proteins with designed functionalities were used to prepare a second generation of bio- sourced inks for 4D-printing. The rapid shape recovery behavior of the bioplastics of MSCA-4D BIOGEL, which can occur in a matter of seconds, can be useful for the production of medical devices such as scaffolds, implants, or stents.
The main impact of the MSCA-4D BIOGEL action is to enhance the future career prospects of the researcher, as well as her employability after the fellowship, to become a leading independent researcher in the field of biomaterials. It is a fact that the topic of the proposal is highly relevant from both the scientific and socio-economic perspective, and that after 3 years and amid the pandemic, the field of additive manufacturing is even more relevant that at the beginning of the fellowship. Furthermore, the fellow’s research work is contributing to a greener additive manufacturing by combining biosourced and biodegradable polymers with 3D printing to enable the fabrication of objects that can be recycled back into feedstock or degraded into nontoxic products after they have served their function. This fellowship provided her with multidisciplinary research experiences and training activities that allowed her to develop new inks for new applications within fields such as aerospace, robotics, and healthcare. Undoubtedly, 4D-BIOGEL project has allowed the fellow to strengthen collaborations between the hosting institutions and collaborators, enlarging her international network and becoming a nexus between the world leaders in 3D printing and the European researchers.
The fellow was awarded an appointment to the General Atomics (GA) Postgraduate Research Participation Program in recognition of her achievements starting in June 2022 in San Diego, California. She will perform research in the Inertial Fusion Technology Division on smart materials development, along with 2PP 3D-printing and photolithography for different nanofabrication applications. The 4D-BIOGEL project has allowed the fellow to obtain this position as a researcher in a professional environment, and she will contribute to the progress of science from there.
She contributed as patent inventor where the under-representation of women researchers is more apparent, as she has a patent from the research work carried out in this project. Moreover, she covered two of the 17 UN sustainable development goals to transform our world, since the fellow investigated towards a more sustainable additive manufacturing by using renewable natural sources that reduce the environmental footprint, and she also developed medical devices to promote the well-being for all at all ages.
The accomplishment of this innovative project allowed the fellow to employ her knowledge for the development of a modern, green and ethic investigation in line with the sustainability claimed in Horizon 2020. Moreover, the combination of laser-based 4D printing with biobased feedstocks offers great potential for the creation of sophisticated dynamic structures with high resolution that could find application not only in regenerative medicine or drug-delivery, but also in robotics or bioelectronics.
