Solution Foaming-Treated 3D-Printed monolithic packing for enhanced solid phase extraction of trace metals.

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Conventional three-dimensional printing (3DP) offers potential for analytical device fabrication.
• Post-printing treatments are crucial for optimizing the performance of 3DP-manufactured devices.
• Solid phase extraction (SPE) columns require enhanced surface properties for efficient analyte capture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and optimize a post-printing solution foaming process for polyamide 6 (PA6) monolithic packing in 3D-printed SPE columns.
• To enhance the surface roughness and porosity of PA6 monolithic packing.
• To improve the extraction efficiency of target metal ions (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) from complex real samples.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of multimaterial SPE columns using fused deposition modeling 3DP.
• Post-printing treatment involving formic acid and sodium bicarbonate solutions to generate CO2 for foaming.
• Optimization of column fabrication, solution foaming treatment, extraction conditions, and analytical system.
• Determination of metal ions using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Main Results:

• The solution foaming treatment increased surface roughness and porosity of the PA6 monolithic packing.
• The 3D-printed SPE columns with treated packing showed 18.9- to 42.0-fold enhancement in metal ion extraction compared to untreated columns.
• Absolute extraction efficiencies exceeded 94.3%, with method detection limits as low as 0.2 ng L⁻¹.
• Reliable results were obtained for metal ion analysis in various certified reference materials and real-world water and urine samples.

Conclusions:

• Post-printing solution foaming is a highly effective method for enhancing the performance of 3D-printed analytical devices.
• The developed 3D-printed SPE columns offer a promising tool for the efficient preconcentration and determination of trace metal ions.
• This approach significantly improves the analytical capabilities of 3DP-based devices for complex sample matrices.