Acetylation of alginate enables the production of inks that mimic the chemical properties of P. aeruginosa biofilm

This study investigates how acetylation alters the physicochemical and mechanical properties of alginate hydrogels, creating tunable biofilm-like materials that mimic *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* extracellular matrices in cystic fibrosis infections. Acetylated alginate with varying degrees of substitution (10–36%) showed altered viscosity, reduced calcium ion affinity, and pH-dependent softening, aligning with mucoid alginate secreted by *P. aeruginosa*. The acetylation broadened the linear viscoelastic region, reduced Young’s modulus, and modulated antibiotic permeability, offering an engineered hydrogel platform that reproduces bacterial biofilm mechanics and drug transport behavior.