Affordable 3D-printed prototype integrated with open-source electronic platform for low-cost polyamide noncoated...

The development of automated sample preparation approaches is considered a significant challenge in analytical chemistry. In general, commercially available devices exhibit impressive performance; however, their high acquisition costs remain a limitation for many laboratories worldwide. Consequently, efforts have been directed toward developing cost-effective instruments that can offer efficient and more independent sample handling. In this study, we propose a novel 3D-printed device integrated with an open-source electronic platform for polyamide noncoated adsorption-based microextraction (PANDA). To date, literature lacks electronically controlled apparatus designed for this technique. The device was evaluated for the determination of twenty organic pollutants using a 48-deep well plate system, followed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

The best experimental conditions consisted of polyamide + 15 % carbon fiber (PA + 15 % C) as sorbent phase, 120 min of extraction using 3 mL of water sample under stirring. Additionally, liquid desorption was performed using 300 μL of methanol:acetonitrile (1:1 v/v) for 10 min under stirring. Notably, the methodology demonstrated high throughput, enabling up to 48 simultaneous extractions with z-axis movements permitting more automated extraction and desorption steps. The method was validated, providing coefficients of determination higher than 0.9841 for all analytes; limits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 0.03 to 3.0 μg L^-1 and from 0.1 to 10.0 μg L^-1, respectively. Intraday precision ranged from 1.5 to 16.3 %, and interday precision varied from 4.0 to 18.2 %. Accuracy was examined through relative recoveries and ranged from 83.2 to 113.4 %. This method was successfully applied to analyze sixteen environmental water samples. In addition, the apparatus did not require expert skills to be designed and assembled.

This novel 3D-printed device was successfully manufactured and assembled with an open-source electronic platform for polyamide noncoated adsorption-based microextraction. This device offered a more automated alternative to the apparatus previously used in this technique, requiring less analyst intervention and allowing for customization of the 3D-printed components. Importantly, production cost was approximately 10 times lower than that of similar commercially available devices, offering a cost-effective alternative for laboratories with limited budgets. Additionally, this first electronically controlled PANDA opens new possibilities to exploit a higher degree of automation in further studies.