The use of 3D-printed electrodes is reported fabricated from in-house conductive filament composed of a mixture of recycled poly (lactic acid) (rPLA), graphite (Gpt), and carbon black (CB) for fast detection of the abused drug ketamine. Firstly, the performance of these electrodes was evaluated in comparison to 3D-printed electrodes produced employing a commercially available conductive filament. After a simple pretreatment step (mechanical polishing), the new 3D-printed electrodes presented better performance than the electrodes produced from commercial filament in relation to peak-to-peak separation of the redox probe [Fe(CN)]/ (130 mV and 759 mV, respectively), charge transfer resistance (R = 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLaser-induced graphene, which was first reported in 2014, involves the creation of graphene by using a laser to modify a polyimide surface. Since then, laser-induced graphene has been extensively studied for application in different scientific fields. One beneficial approach is the use of laser-induced graphene coupled with electrochemistry, where there is a growing need for disposable, conductive, reproducible, flexible, biocompatible, sustainable, and economical electrodes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNorovirus (NoV) is the predominant cause of foodborne illness globally; current detection methods are typically expensive, have inadequate sensitivities, and utilize biological receptors with poor stability. Therefore, accurate, cost-effective, and highly stable detection methods are needed to screen for NoV in foods. We developed molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) to detect NoV using a small target epitope (12 amino acids) with a solid-phase synthesis approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterium that poses a significant threat to public health, necessitating rapid and on-site detection methods for rapid recognition. The goal of the project is therefore to indirectly detect the presence of in environmental water samples targeting one of its quorum-sensing molecules, namely, ()--butyryl homoserine lactone (BHL). To this aim, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized via bulk free-radical polymerization using BHL as a template molecule.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (DM) affecting 537 million adults worldwide relies on invasive and costly enzymatic methods that have limited stability. Electroactive polypyrrole (PPy)-based molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (eMIPs) have been developed that rival the affinity of enzymes whilst being low-cost, highly robust, and facile to produce. By drop-casting eMIPs onto low-cost disposable screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), sensors have been manufactured that can electrochemically detect glucose in a wide dynamic range (1 µm-10 mm) with a limit of detection (LOD) of 26 nm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, we present the first 3D-printed electrochemical portable biodevice for the detection of monkeypox virus (MKPV). The electrochemical device consists of two biosensors: an immunosensor and a genosensor specifically designed for the detection of the protein A29 and a target DNA of MKPV, respectively. The electrodes were manufactured using lab-made ultraflexible conductive filaments composed of carbon black, recycled PLA from coffee pods, and castor oil as a plasticizer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis review aims to provide an overview of sustainable approaches that can be incorporated into well-known procedures for the development of materials, pre- and post-treatments, modifications, and applications of 3D-printed objects, especially for fused filament fabrication (FFF). Different examples of conductive and non-conductive bespoke filaments using renewable biopolymers, bioplasticizers, and recycled materials are presented and discussed. The main final characteristics of the polymeric materials achieved according to the feedstock, preparation, extrusion, and treatments are also covered.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe production, optimisation, physicochemical, and electroanalytical characterisation of a low-cost electrically conductive additive manufacturing filament made with recycled poly(lactic acid) (rPLA), castor oil, carbon black, and graphite (CB-G/PLA) is reported. Through optimising the carbon black and graphite loading, the best ratio for conductivity, low material cost, and printability was found to be 60% carbon black to 40% graphite. The maximum composition within the rPLA with 10 wt% castor oil was found to be an overall nanocarbon loading of 35 wt% which produced a price of less than £0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdditive manufacturing (3D-printing), in particular fused filament fabrication, presents a potential paradigm shift in the way electrochemical based biosensing platforms are produced, giving rise to a new generation of personalized and on-demand biosensors. The use of additive manufactured biosensors is unparalleled giving rise to unique customization, facile miniaturization, ease of use, economical but yet, still providing sensitive and selective approaches towards the target analyte. In this mini review, we focus on the use of fused filament fabrication additive manufacturing technology alongside different biosensing approaches that exclusively use antibodies, enzymes and associated biosensing materials (mediators) providing an up-to-date overview with future considerations to expand the additive manufacturing biosensors field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe first report of conductive recycled polyethylene terephthalate glycol (rPETg) for additive manufacturing and electrochemical applications is reported herein. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and carbon black (CB) were embedded within a recycled feedstock to produce a filament with lower resistance than commercially available conductive polylactic acid (PLA). In addition to electrical conductivity, the rPETg was able to hold >10 wt% more conductive filler without the use of a plasticiser, showed enhanced temperature stability, had a higher modulus, improved chemical resistance, lowered levels of solution ingress, and could be sterilised in ethanol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesalamine, known as 5-aminosalicylic acid, is a medication used primarily in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. 5-Aminosalicylic acid can be measured using various benchtop laboratory techniques which involve liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy, but these are sophisticated and large, meaning that they cannot be used on-site because transportation of the samples, chemicals, and physical and biological reactions can potentially occur, which can affect the sample's composition and potentially result in inaccurate results. An alternative approach is the use of electrochemical based sensing platforms which has the advantages of portability, cost-efficiency, facile miniaturization, and rapid analysis while nonetheless providing sensitivity and selectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMixing of graphite and carbon black (CB) alongside recycled poly(lactic acid) and castor oil to create an electrically conductive additive manufacturing filament without the use of solvents is reported herein. The additively manufactured electrodes (AMEs) were electrochemically benchmarked against a commercial conductive filament and a bespoke filament utilizing only CB. The graphite/CB produced a heterogeneous rate constant, , of 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbendazim is a broad-spectrum systemic fungicide that is used to control various fungal diseases in agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. Carbendazim is also used in post-harvest applications to prevent fungal growth on fruits and vegetables during storage and transportation. Carbendazim is regulated in many countries and banned in others, thus, there is a need for the sensing of carbendazim to ensure that high levels are avoided which can result in potential health risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development and increase in the number of crops recently have led to the requirement for greater efficiency in world food production and greater consumption of pesticides. In this context, the widespread use of pesticides has affected the decrease in the population of pollinating insects and has caused food contamination. Therefore, simple, low-cost, and quick analytical methods can be interesting alternatives for checking the quality of foods such as honey.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecycling used mixed material additively manufactured electroanalytical sensors into new 3D-printing filaments (both conductive and non-conductive) for the production of new sensors is reported herein. Additively manufactured (3D-printed) sensing platforms were transformed into a non-conductive filament for fused filament fabrication through four different methodologies (granulation, ball-milling, solvent mixing, and thermal mixing) with thermal mixing producing the best quality filament, as evidenced by the improved dispersion of fillers throughout the composite. Utilizing this thermal mixing methodology, and without supplementation with the virgin polymer, the filament was able to be cycled twice before failure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne of the principal raw ingredients used in the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, nuclear fuel, and semiconductors is hydroxylamine, a mutagenic and carcinogenic substance, ranking high on the list of environmental contaminants. Electrochemical methods for monitoring hydroxylamine have the advantage of being portable, quick, affordable, simple, sensitive, and selective enough to maintain adequate constraints in contrast with conventional yet laboratory based quantification methods. This review outlines the most recent advancements in electroanalysis directed toward the sensing of hydroxylamine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFL-DOPA (levodopa) is a therapeutic agent which is the most effective medication for treating Parkinson's disease, but it needs dose optimization, and therefore its analytical determination is required. Laboratory analytical instruments can be routinely used to measure L-DOPA but are not always available in clinical settings and traditional research laboratories, and they also have slow result delivery times and high costs. The use of electroanalytical sensing overcomes these problems providing a highly sensitivity, low-cost, and readily portable solution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis manuscript presents the design and facile production of screen-printed arrays (SPAs) for the internally validated determination of raised levels of serum procalcitonin (PCT). The screen-printing methodology produced SPAs with six individual working electrodes that exhibit an inter-array reproducibility of 3.64% and 5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLysozyme (LYZ) is a small cationic protein which is widely used for medical treatment and in the food industry to act as an anti-bacterial agent; however, it can trigger allergic reactions. In this study, high-affinity molecularly imprinted nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) were synthesized for LYZ using a solid-phase approach. The produced nanoMIPs were electrografted to screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), disposable electrodes with high commercial potential, to enable electrochemical and thermal sensing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recycling of post-industrial waste poly(lactic acid) (PI-PLA) from coffee machine pods into electroanalytical sensors for the detection of caffeine in real tea and coffee samples is reported herein. The PI-PLA is transformed into both nonconductive and conductive filaments to produce full electroanalytical cells, including additively manufactured electrodes (AMEs). The electroanalytical cell was designed utilizing separate prints for the cell body and electrodes to increase the recyclability of the system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe demand for new devices that enable the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) at a relatively low cost and that are fast and feasible to be used as point-of-care is required overtime on a large scale. In this sense, the use of sustainable materials, for example, the bio-based poly (ethylene terephthalate) (Bio-PET) can be an alternative to current standard diagnostics. In this work, we present a flexible disposable printed electrode based on a platinum thin film on Bio-PET as a substrate for the development of a sensor and immunosensor for the monitoring of COVID-19 biomarkers, by the detection of L-cysteine and the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, respectively.
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