3D printed fluidic platform with in-situ covalently immobilized polymer monolithic column for automatic solid-phase...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional solid-phase extraction (SPE) methods can be time-consuming and require manual operation.
• Developing integrated and automated analytical systems is crucial for efficient sample preparation and analysis.
• 3D printing offers a versatile platform for fabricating custom microfluidic devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce 3D stereolithographic printing for fabricating fluidic devices for in-situ covalent immobilization of polymer monolithic columns.
• To integrate these 3D-printed devices into flow injection systems for fully automated SPE and clean-up procedures.
• To evaluate the performance of these devices for the determination of emerging contaminants in environmental and biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of fluidic devices using 3D stereolithographic printing.
• In-situ covalent immobilization of polymer monolithic columns within the 3D-printed devices.
• Decoration of the monolithic phase with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).
• Integration with flow injection systems for automated SPE and on-line liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Main Results:

• The 3D-printed SPE devices demonstrated tolerance to pressure drops for large sample volumes.
• Gold nanoparticle decoration proved effective for enriching phenolic compounds.
• Absolute recoveries for analytes ranged from 73% to 92% in water and saliva.
• The 3D-printed monoliths exhibited good loading capacity (2 mg g⁻¹), breakthrough volume (10 mL), and batch-to-batch reproducibility (<9% RSD).
• A fully automated 3D-printed SPE-HPLC system was successfully used for on-line extraction and determination of triclosan in saliva.

Conclusions:

• 3D stereolithography is a viable technique for fabricating advanced fluidic devices for automated SPE.
• The developed 3D-printed SPE-HPLC system offers an efficient and automated solution for analyzing emerging contaminants.
• The use of AuNPs enhances the extraction of phenolic compounds, improving analytical performance.