Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) say they have developed seaweed-based inks and materials for developing colorful 2-D and 3-D shapes and models.

Called ArtSea Inks and Materials, the researchers developed them using seaweed solutions bolstered with pigments. These materials don’t require high heat or plastic, according to the researchers. Referred to as “bioinks”, they are made from alginate, a non-toxic sodium salt extracted from brown seaweed.

ArtSea Inks and Materials can be used to create representations of biological materials and models as well as incorporate mammalian and bacterial cells into the bioink, say the researchers.

[Image courtesy: PNNL]