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PreprintCC BYChemRxiv

Cold Plasma Induced 3D Printing of Hydrogels

  • Emma Bowley1,2
  • Dipankar Ghosh1,2
  • Dilli Padmanaban3,4
  • Matthew Bieniek5,6
  • Calum Fyfe7,8
  • Timothy. J. D. McCabe7,8
  • Andrew J. Smith9
  • Marc Reid7,8
  • Massimo Vassalli10,2
  • James L. Walsh3,4
  • Mohammad I Hasan5,6
  • Dave J. Adams1,2
10 affiliations
  1. 1School of Chemistry
  2. 2University of Glasgow
  3. 3School of Physics, Engineering and Technology
  4. 4University of York
  5. 5Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics
  6. 6University of Liverpool
  7. 7Dept. of Pure & Applied Chemistry
  8. 8University of Strathclyde
  9. 9Harwell Science and Innovation Campus
  10. 10Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment
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Abstract

Control over when and where gelation occurs is central to the fabrication of structured soft materials, yet most approaches rely on chemical additives or uniform bulk triggers. Here, we show that cold plasma provides an external, reagent-free route to spatial and temporal control over gelation in low molecular weight hydrogel systems. Plasma exposure induces a localised decrease in pH at the plasma–liquid interface, triggering self-assembly and gel formation only in the treated region. This external plasma-induced self-assembly method enables direct writing of gel features from precursor solutions without embedded triggers, construction of three-dimensional architectures, and control over local mechanical properties through plasma dose. Our approach also allows simultaneous formation of metal nanoparticles within gels, yielding spatially confined composite and catalytic soft materials.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{bowley2026cold,
  title = {{Cold Plasma Induced 3D Printing of Hydrogels}},
  author = {Emma Bowley and Dipankar Ghosh and Dilli Padmanaban and Matthew Bieniek and Calum Fyfe and Timothy. J. D. McCabe and Andrew J. Smith and Marc Reid and Massimo Vassalli and James L. Walsh and Mohammad I Hasan and Dave J. Adams},
  howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1},
  url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Cold Plasma Induced 3D Printing of Hydrogels
AU  - Emma Bowley
AU  - Dipankar Ghosh
AU  - Dilli Padmanaban
AU  - Matthew Bieniek
AU  - Calum Fyfe
AU  - Timothy. J. D. McCabe
AU  - Andrew J. Smith
AU  - Marc Reid
AU  - Massimo Vassalli
AU  - James L. Walsh
AU  - Mohammad I Hasan
AU  - Dave J. Adams
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/16
PB  - ChemRxiv
DO  - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1
UR  - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010580/v1
AB  - Control over when and where gelation occurs is central to the fabrication of structured soft materials, yet most approaches rely on chemical additives or uniform bulk triggers. Here, we show that cold plasma provides an external, reagent-free route to spatial and temporal control over gelation in low molecular weight hydrogel systems. Plasma exposure induces a localised decrease in pH at the plasma–liquid interface, triggering self-assembly and gel formation only in the treated region. This external plasma-induced self-assembly method enables direct writing of gel features from precursor solutions without embedded triggers, construction of three-dimensional architectures, and control over local mechanical properties through plasma dose. Our approach also allows simultaneous formation of metal nanoparticles within gels, yielding spatially confined composite and catalytic soft materials.
ER  -