A method to use X-ray computed tomography for measuring perfusable, high-resolution 3D-printed hydrogel structures

Abstract Contrast-enhancing agents are commonplace in medical X-ray Computed Tomography. However, their use in laboratory-scale micro–X-ray Computed Tomography (µXCT) for morphological measurements of tissue-like or tissue-scaffold applications (e.g., 3D-printed artificial organs) is limited. We demonstrate enhanced contrast and enable print quality measurement with µXCT via a colloidal suspension of nano-silica spheres (c-SiO 2 ). Contrast is enhanced by the higher attenuation coefficient of the silica than hydrogel, which provides for 3D image analysis. We tested several c-SiO 2 dilutions and found an optimal selection that balances viscosity and contrast. We further demonstrate the technique by measuring a prototype dialyzer-like device. Graphical abstract

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Publication Details

Journal
MRS Communications
Published
2025-09-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-025-00804-y
Primary Topic
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

A method to use X-ray computed tomography for measuring perfusable, high-resolution 3D-printed hydrogel structures

Grant Draper, Jason P. Killgore, Raghuveer Lalitha Sridhar, Kalyan Vydiam et al.
MRS Communications
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
article

A method to use X-ray computed tomography for measuring perfusable, high-resolution 3D-printed hydrogel structures

Grant Draper, Jason P. Killgore, Raghuveer Lalitha Sridhar, Kalyan Vydiam, Daniel E. Backman, Rion J. Wendland, Scott A. Turner, Nick Clinton, Thomas J. Kolibaba, Callie I. Higgins, Amanpreet Kaur, Orion L. Kafka, Matthew L. Bedell, Matt Gelber
article en

Abstract

Abstract Contrast-enhancing agents are commonplace in medical X-ray Computed Tomography. However, their use in laboratory-scale micro–X-ray Computed Tomography (µXCT) for morphological measurements of tissue-like or tissue-scaffold applications (e.g., 3D-printed artificial organs) is limited. We demonstrate enhanced contrast and enable print quality measurement with µXCT via a colloidal suspension of nano-silica spheres (c-SiO 2 ). Contrast is enhanced by the higher attenuation coefficient of the silica than hydrogel, which provides for 3D image analysis. We tested several c-SiO 2 dilutions and found an optimal selection that balances viscosity and contrast. We further demonstrate the technique by measuring a prototype dialyzer-like device. Graphical abstract

MRS CommunicationsVol. 15(5)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (US), University of San Diego (US), United Therapeutics (United States) (US)
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Openalex Percentile: Top 75%
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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A method to use X-ray computed tomography for measuring perfusable, high-resolution 3D-printed hydrogel structures — Grant Draper, Jason P. Killgore, et al. · MRS Communications (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS