Novel disposable and portable 3D-printed electrochemical apparatus for fast and selective screening of 25E-NBOH in forensic samples

The advent of new psychoactive substances (NPS) has caused enormous difficulty for legal control since they are rapidly commercialized, and their chemical structures are routinely altered. In this aspect, derivatives phenethylamines, such as 25E-NBOH, have received great attention in the forensic scenario. Hence, we propose portable and cost-effective (U$ 5.00) 3D-printed devices for the electrochemical screening of 25E-NBOH for the first time. The cell and all electrodes were printed using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament (insulating material) and conductive filament (graphite embedded in a polylactic acid matrix), respectively, both by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technique. The electrochemical apparatus enables micro-volume analysis (50-2000 μL), especially important for low sample volumes. A mechanistic route for the electrochemical oxidation of 25E-NBOH is proposed based on cyclic voltammetric data, which showed two oxidation processes around +0.75 V and +1.00 V and a redox pair between +0.2 and -0.2 V (vs. graphite ink pseudo-reference). A fast and sensitive square-wave voltammetry method was developed, which exhibited a linear working range from 0.85 to 5.1 μmoL-1, detection limit of 0.2 μmol L-1, and good intra-electrode precision (n = 10, RSD <5.3 %). Inter-electrode measurements (n = 3, RSD <9.8 %) also attested that the electrode production process is reproducible. Interference tests in the presence of other drugs frequently found in blotting paper indicated high selectivity of the electrochemical method for screening of 25E-NBOH. Screening analysis of blotting paper confirmed the presence of 25E-NBOH in the seized samples. Moreover, a recovery percentage close to 100 % was found for a spiked saliva sample, suggesting the method's usefulness for quantitative purposes aimed at information on recent drug use.

Electrochemical platform produced by 3D printing for analysis of small volumes using different electrode materials

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing is a promising additive manufacturing technique to produce low-cost disposable electrochemical devices. However, the print of devices like well-known screen-printed electrodes (all electrodes on the same device) is difficult using the available technology (few materials available for production of working electrodes). In this paper we present a procedure to produce disposable and robust electrochemical devices by FDM 3D printing that allows reproducible analysis of small volumes (50-2000 μL). The device consists of just two printed parts that allow easy coupling of different conductive materials for using as disposable or non-disposable working electrodes with reproducible geometric area. Printed counter and pseudo-reference electrodes can also be easily fitted into the microcell. Moreover, conventional counter (platinum wire) and mini reference electrodes can also be used. As a proof of concept, paracetamol, cocaine and uric acid were used as model analytes using different materials as working electrodes. Linear calibration curves (r > 0.99) with similar slopes (0.29 ± 0.01 μA μmol L-1; RSD = 3.4%) were obtained by square wave voltammetry (SWV) using a complete printed system and different volumes of standard solutions of paracetamol (50, 100, and 200 μL). For uric acid, a linear range of 10-125 μmol L-1 (r > 0.99), was obtained using differential pulse voltammetry as the electrochemical technique and a disposable laser-induced graphene base as the working electrode. With the coupling of boron-doped diamond working electrode, screening tests were successfully performed in seized cocaine samples with selective detection of cocaine in the presence of its most common adulterants. The production cost per unit of a complete electrochemical system is around US 5.00. In large-scale production, only the working electrode needs to be replaced while the microcell and counter/pseudo reference electrodes do not need to be discarded.

A novel 3D-printed graphite/polylactic acid sensor for the electrochemical determination of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene residues in environmental waters

Here, lab-made graphite and polylactic acid (Gpt-PLA) biocomposite materials were used to additively manufacture electrodes via the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique for subsequent determination of the explosive 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT, considered a persistent organic pollutant). The surface of the 3D-printed material was characterized by SEM and Raman, which revealed high roughness and the presence of defects in the graphite structure, which enhanced the electrochemical response of TNT. The 3D-printed Gpt-PLA electrode coupled to square wave voltammetry (SWV) showed suitable performance for fastly determining the explosive residues (around 7 s). Two reduction processes at around -0.22 V and -0.36 V were selected for TNT detection, with linear ranges between 1.0 and 10.0 μM. Moreover, detection limits of 0.52 and 0.66 μM were achieved for both reduction steps. The proposed method was applied to determine TNT in different environmental water samples (tap water, river water, and seawater) without a dilution step (direct analysis). Recovery values between 98 and 106% confirmed the accuracy of the analyses. Additionally, adequate selectivity was achieved even in the presence of other explosives commonly used by military agencies, metallic ions commonly found in water, and also some electroactive camouflage species. Such results indicate that the proposed device is promising to quantify TNT residues in environmental samples, a viable on-site analysis strategy.

3D-printed electrochemical cells with laser engraving: developing portable electroanalytical devices for forensic applications

A new electrochemical device fabricated by the combination of 3D printing manufacturing and laser-generated graphene sensors is presented. Cell and electrodes were 3D printed by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique employing acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament (insulating material that composes the cell) and conductive filament (lab-made filament based on graphite dispersed into polylactic acid matrix) to obtain reference and auxiliary electrodes. Infrared-laser engraved graphene, also reported as laser-induced graphene (LIG), was produced by laser conversion of a polyimide substrate, which was assembled in the 3D-printed electrochemical cell that enables the analysis of low volumes (50-2000 μL). XPS analysis revealed the formation of nitrogen-doped graphene multilayers that resulted in excellent electrochemical sensing properties toward the detection of atropine (ATR), a substance that was found in beverages to facilitate sexual assault and other criminal acts. Linear range between 5 and 35 μmol L-1, detection limit of 1 μmol L-1, and adequate precision (RSD = 4.7%, n = 10) were achieved using differential-pulse voltammetry. The method was successfully applied to beverage samples with recovery values ranging from 80 to 105%. Interference studies in the presence of species commonly found in beverages confirmed satisfactory selectivity for ATR sensing. The devices proposed are useful portable analytical tools for on-site applications in the forensic scenario.