Development of a Quasi-Steady Flow Electrochemical Paper-Based Analytical Device

An electrochemical paper-based analytical device (ePAD) was developed for quasi-steady flow detection at microwire electrodes, for the first time. The device implements a fan shaped geometry connected to an analysis channel whereby solution is pulled from an inlet, through a channel, and into the steadily increasing capillary network of the fan. The network counteracts the decrease in solution flow rate associated with increasing viscosity within the channel, generating quasi-steady flow within the analysis channel. Microwire electrodes were embedded between two paper layers within the analysis channel, such that solution flow occurred on both sides of the wire electrodes. The quasi-steady flow ePAD increased the current by 2.5 times and 0.7 times from a saturated channel with no flow and from a single-layer paper device with flow, respectively. Amperometric detection was used for flow injection analysis (FIA) of multiple analytes at both Au and Pt microwire working electrodes, both of which provided similar sensitivity (ca. 0.2 mM^-1) when normalized to the same standard. The two-layer paper devices provided a detection limit of 31 μM for p-aminophenol (PAP) using Pt electrodes and was also used to detect enzyme activity for the reaction of β-galactosidase with p-aminophenyl-galactopyranoside (PAPG). Measured enzyme kinetics provided similar V_max (0.079 mM/min) and K_m (0.36 mM) values as those found in the literature. This device shows great promise toward use in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or other analytical techniques where flow or washing steps are necessary. The developed sensor provides a simple and inexpensive device capable of performing multiple injection analysis with steady-flow and online detection that would normally require an external pump to perform.