An apparatus and method for shaping double-network hydrogels into customized 3D structures. A one-pot prepolymer formulation containing photo-cross-linkable acrylamide and thermoreversible sol-gel ?-carrageenan with a suitable crosslinker, and photo-initiator/absorbers was used. The formulation was polymerized using a TOPS system with heating stage to photo-polymerize the primary acrylamide network into a 3D structure above the sol-gel transition of ?-carrageenan (80? C.). Cooling down then generates the secondary physical ?-carrageenan network to realize tough double-network hydrogel structures. Printed 3D structures had superior lateral (37 ?m) and vertical (180 ?m) resolutions and 3D design freedoms (internal voids) that exhibit ultimate stress and strain of 200 kPa and 2400% respectively under tension, and simultaneously exhibit high compression stress of 15 MPa with a strain of 95%, both with high recovery rates. The apparatus and method can be employed with other double-network hydrogels to make multifunctional soft devices for a range of applications.

A surgical simulator for electrosurgical training and simulation is provided. The surgical simulator includes one or more simulated tissue structures made substantially of a hydrogel comprising a dual interpenetrating network of ionically cross-linked alginate and covalently cross-linked acrylamide. Combinations of different simulated tissue structures define procedural-based models for the practice of various electrosurgical procedures including laparoscopic total mesorectal excision, transanal total mesorectal excision, cholecystectomy and transanal minimally invasive surgery. Methods of making the simulated tissue structures are also provided.

The invention is related to method for developing and producing contact lenses with a target lubricity profile as characterized by having a velocity-weighted average coefficient of friction, as determined by use of a lubricity test of the invention.

Provided is a method for manufacturing photoabsorbing contact lenses and photoabsorbing contact lenses produced thereby. The method comprises: (a) providing a mold assembly comprised of a base curve and a front curve, the base curve and the front curve defining and enclosing a cavity therebetween, the cavity containing a reactive mixture, wherein the reactive mixture comprises at least one polymerizable monomer, a photoinitiator which absorbs at an activating wavelength, and a photoabsorbing compound which displays absorption at the activating wavelength; and (b) curing the reactive mixture to form the photoabsorbing contact lens by exposing the reactive mixture to radiation that includes the activating wavelength, wherein the radiation is directed at both the base curve and the front curve of the mold assembly, and wherein the radiation's radiant energy at the base curve is greater than the radiation's radiant energy at the front curve.

At least one microneedle comprises a hydrogel material that includes a substance that fluoresces when the substance interacts with an analyte. A magnitude of the fluorescence varies as a function of the concentration of the analyte. During use, the hydrogel material is illuminated with illumination light in a first wavelength range while the hydrogel material interfaces with the dermal interstitial fluid layer of a subject, and a photosensor generates an output that corresponds to an amount of light received in a second wavelength range.

The invention relates to a porous hydrogel matrix having substantially interconnected tunnel-shaped micropores with a three-dimensional configuration of an interconnected hollow tetrapod network. Such matrices may be used to entrap motile cells that migrate into the micropores of said matrix. The matrices of the invention are formed by a method comprising the steps of providing a solution of a hydrogel-forming material, providing a template material with a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the negative configuration of the desired interconnected porous structure of the hydrogel material, said template material comprising interconnected zinc oxide tetrapod (t-ZnO) networks, casting the solution of hydrogel-forming material onto the template and removing the template material from the hydrogel material by acid hydrolysis of the template material.

A method of manufacturing a solid freeform fabrication object includes curing a liquid film made of an active energy ray curable liquid composition to form a layer; and laminating the layer to obtain the solid freeform fabrication object, wherein the solid freeform fabrication object is manufactured at an absolute humidity of from 5.5 to 20 g/m.sup.3.

Example methods and apparatus for creating a reaction product. An example method comprises flowing a first fluid in a flow direction in a first conduit in a multilayer extrusion reactor apparatus. The first fluid may be characterized by inertial forces dominating viscous forces of the first fluid. The method flows a second fluid in a flow direction in a second conduit in the apparatus. The first and second fluids may be miscible with one another. The method shapes the first and second conduits to provide an interface region between the first and second fluids. The method permits a reaction to create a reaction product in the interface region. The reaction product may mitigate flow-disrupting mixing between the first and second fluids.

A curable resin composition includes a multifunctional radical polymerizable compound (A), a monofunctional radical polymerizable compound (B), a rubber particle (C), and a radical polymerization initiator (D). The compound (A) includes a multifunctional urethane (meth)acrylate oligomer (a1) in a certain amount based on the total amount of the compounds (A) and (B). The compound (A) and/or (B) contains at least one radical polymerizable compound satisfying expressions (1) to (3) in a certain amount based on the total amount of the compounds (A) and (B). The compound satisfies the expressions (1) to (3) and is a compound other than the oligomer (a1): log(S)?0.4 (1), 3.0??P value?6.0 (2), molecular weight?500 (3), log(S) is a common logarithm of solubility in water at 25? C., and ?P value is a value of dipole interaction energy in Hansen solubility parameter.

A photo-curable resin composition for three-dimensional shaping includes a polyfunctional radical polymerizable compound (A), a monofunctional radical polymerizable compound (B), polyethylene particles (C), and a curing agent (D). The polyfunctional radical polymerizable compound (A) is a single polyfunctional radical polymerizable compound having an ethylenically unsaturated group equivalent of 700 g/eq or more and 8,000 g/eq or less or a mixture including a plurality of types of polyfunctional radical polymerizable compounds and having an ethylenically unsaturated group equivalent of 700 g/eq or more and 8,000 g/eq or less, the ethylenically unsaturated group equivalent being a weighted average of ethylenically unsaturated group equivalents of the polyfunctional radical polymerizable compounds in terms of weight ratio. A content of the polyethylene particles (C) is 5 parts by mass or more and 50 parts by mass or less relative to 100 parts by mass of a total of the polyfunctional radical polymerizable compound (A) and the monofunctional radical polymerizable compound (B).