Enhanced analytical performance of disposable 3D carbon electrodes prepared with stainless steel wire mesh

This paper aims to use low-cost stainless steel wire mesh (SSWM) as uniform templates to prepare disposable three-dimensional (3D) carbon electrodes to improve their analytical performance. Native SSWM electrodes were prepared with lamination and then coated with carbon cement for bulk preparation of disposable 3D carbon electrodes with drop-casting. The electrodes were then coupled in paper-based analytical devices. Meanwhile, disposable 2D carbon electrodes were prepared with the stainless steel sheets (SSSs) for comparison under the same condition using stripping analysis of heavy metals as a model. Our results demonstrated that the sensitivity of the 3D carbon electrodes was about three times as high as that of the 2D carbon electrodes on stripping analysis of both heavy metals. The electrochemical responses of 1 μg L^-1 Pb²⁺ at the 3D carbon electrodes were about 6 times as high as those at the 2D carbon electrodes. The improved analytical performance of disposable 3D carbon electrodes could be attributed to their increased electrochemical effective area, which was brought by replacing SSSs with SSWM. The obtained disposable 3D carbon electrodes could be used for differentiation of Pb in teethers and corns. This study not only presented the potential of SSWM in the preparation of disposable 3D carbon electrodes but also suggested a simple and effective strategy for the preparation of disposable 3D electrodes for practical applications.