Vat Photopolymerization of Liquid Metal Nanoparticle-Integrated Hydrogels

Abstract

Hydrogels are water-rich, cross-linked polymers widely applied in biomedicine, tissue engineering, wound healing, and 3D bioprinting. This work introduces polymer-coated liquid metal nanoparticles as multifunctional additives for vat photopolymerization. The nanoparticles improve light focusing, reduce scattering, regulate polymerization kinetics, reinforce GelMA hydrogel networks through dynamic covalent bonding, and impart photothermal responsiveness and antibacterial activity, enabling high-resolution, mechanically robust, and multifunctional hydrogel printing.