Integration of 3D-Printed Micro/Nanostructures with Interdigitated Electrodes for Low-Matrix-Effect Sensing

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Biosensing
• Materials Science

Background:

• Electrochemical sensors are valuable for biological applications but suffer from electrode fouling in complex matrices.
• Existing antifouling strategies include chemical barriers, which can impact electron transfer.
• Physical barriers using micro/nano hierarchical structures offer an alternative to mitigate interference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel approach for enhancing electrochemical sensor performance by mitigating matrix interference.
• To integrate micro/nanostructures fabricated by two-photon polymerization (TPP) 3D printing with interdigitated electrode sensors.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of this integrated platform for real-time cell monitoring and analyte detection.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of micro/nano hierarchical structures on electrodes using two-photon polymerization (TPP) 3D printing.
• Integration of TPP-printed structures with interdigitated electrode-based electrochemical sensors.
• Evaluation of sensor performance using model redox analytes in cell culture medium, comparing TPP-modified electrodes with bare electrodes.

Main Results:

• The 3D-printed micro/nanostructure-integrated platform effectively filtered small interfering micro-objects, reducing matrix effects.
• The novel platform demonstrated higher sensitivity to redox analytes compared to bare electrodes in cell culture medium.
• Bare electrodes showed compromised sensitivity due to cell passivation, highlighting the benefit of the TPP-fabricated structures.

Conclusions:

• The TPP 3D printing technique enables straightforward fabrication of complex hierarchical structures for sensor enhancement.
• Integrating these micro/nanostructures with electrochemical sensors provides a robust method to mitigate matrix interference.
• This research presents a promising new strategy for improving electrochemical sensing performance in complex biological environments.