Abstract

This thesis explores the use of 3D printing to fabricate soft hydrogel lattice structures with consistent properties, including varying levels of mechanical anisotropy. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a non-invasive imaging tool to estimate and characterize the mechanical properties of tissue. MRE “phantoms” (physical surrogate models) have been used to assess how well MRE can measure and estimate mechanical properties. While gel phantoms generally simulate brain tissue, almost all have been isotropic. Prior studies have shown that white matter brain tissue is structurally and mechanically anisotropic. To validate anisotropic MRE, phantoms with controllable, reproducible anisotropic material properties are needed. This project comprised three Aims: (1) to design and fabricate scaled lattices that exhibit consistent anisotropy and apparent elastic moduli on the order of kPa; (2) to investigate the effects of lattice geometry on lattice mechanical properties; and (3) to develop composite phantoms that incorporate a lattice structure in a gel matrix and exhibit mechanical anisotropy. This thesis project confirms that 3D printing can allow for tailoring of structural and mechanical properties to improve the ability an MRE phantom to mimic brain tissue within a wider range of anisotropic mechanical properties.

Committee Chair

Philip Bayly

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

6-17-2024

Language

English (en)

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