High-Performance, Easy-to-Fabricate, Nanocomposite Heater for Life Sciences and Biomedical Applications

Microheaters are used in several applications, including medical diagnostics, synthesis, environmental monitoring, and actuation. Conventional microheaters rely on thin-film electrodes microfabricated in a clean-room environment. However, low-cost alternatives based on conductive paste electrodes fabricated using printing techniques have started to emerge over the years. Here, we report a surprising effect that leads to significant electrode performance improvement as confirmed by the thorough characterization of bulk, processed, and conditioned samples. Mixing silver ink and PVA results in the solubilization of performance-hindering organic compounds. These compounds evaporate during heating cycles. The new electrodes, which reach a temperature of 80 °C within 5 min using a current of 7.0 A, display an overall 42% and 35% improvement in the mechanical (hardness) and electrical (resistivity) properties compared to pristine silver ink electrodes. To validate our results, we use the composite heater to amplify and detect parasite DNA from Trypanosoma brucei, associated with African sleeping sickness. Our LAMP test compares well with commercially available systems, confirming the excellent performance of our nanocomposite heaters. Since their fabrication relies on well-established techniques, we anticipate they will find use in a range of applications.