3D hydrogels with high resolution fabricated by two-photon polymerization with sensitive water soluble initiators

Hydrogels with precise 3D configuration (3D hydrogels) are crucial for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and drug delivery, which require the improvement of the spatial resolution on both the microscopic and the nanometric scale. In this study, a water soluble two-photon polymerization (TPP) initiator (WI) with high initiating efficiency was prepared by using a poloxamer (PF127) to encapsulate 2,7-bis(2-(4-pentaneoxy-phenyl)-vinyl)anthraquinone via a hydrophilic–hydrophobic assembly. The threshold energy for WI was 6.29 mW at a linear scanning speed of 10 μm s−1, which was much lower than those reported previously. A lateral spatial resolution of 92 nm was achieved as the resolution breakthrough of 3D hydrogels. Finally, the microstructure with high accuracy simulating the morphology of adenovirus was fabricated at the laser power close to the threshold energy of TPP, further demonstrating the ultrahigh resolution of 3D hydrogels.