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3D printing for electroanalysis: From multiuse electrochemical cells to sensors
Rafael M Cardoso1, Dianderson M H Mendonça1, Weberson P Silva1
1Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38408-100, Uberlândia-MG, Brazil.
Analytica Chimica Acta
|September 3, 2018
Summary
Low-cost 3D-printers can fabricate reusable electrochemical cells and sensors using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and graphene-doped polylactic acid (G-PLA). These 3D-printed sensors offer comparable performance to traditional electrodes for detecting various analytes.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Traditional electrochemical cells and sensors can be expensive and time-consuming to produce.
- Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printing offers a low-cost, rapid prototyping approach for fabricating custom electrochemical devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the application of low-cost FDM 3D-printers for creating multiuse electrochemical cells and sensing platforms.
- To evaluate the performance of 3D-printed sensors for detecting various analytes using flow-injection analysis (FIA) and batch-injection analysis (BIA).
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of electrochemical cells using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and sensors using conductive graphene-doped polylactic acid (G-PLA) via FDM 3D-printing.
- Electrochemical characterization including amperometric detection, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
- Performance evaluation for the detection of tert-butylhydroquinone, dipyrone, dopamine, and diclofenac.
Main Results:
- 3D-printed electrochemical cells were produced in 6 hours at a cost of $6.00.
- 16 sensor strips (1x2 cm) were printed in 10 minutes at $1.00 each.
- 3D-printed sensors demonstrated comparable electroanalytical performance to carbon-based electrodes, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 μmol/L for dopamine.
- Raman spectroscopy and SEM confirmed the presence of graphene nanoribbons in the G-PLA matrix.
- While glassy-carbon electrodes showed faster electron transfer, 3D-printed sensors exhibited lower LODs for dopamine and catechol.
Conclusions:
- FDM 3D-printing is a viable and cost-effective method for producing versatile electrochemical cells and sensing platforms.
- The G-PLA 3D-printed sensors show promise for sensitive electrochemical detection, potentially due to surface functional groups.
- This technology can democratize electrochemical analysis by providing accessible and customizable sensing tools.
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