Laser-scribing fabrication of a disposable electrochemical device for forensic detection of crime facilitating drugs in beverage samples

Author(s)

V. Paschoarelli, Mayra V. ; Kavai, Mathias S. ; de Lima, Lucas F. ; de Araujo, William R.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Talanta; v. 255, p. 9-pg., 2022-12-26.

Abstract

A portable and disposable laser-scribed graphene (LSG) device was fabricated on polyetherimide (PEI) substrate for electrochemical detection of benzodiazepines (BZ) drugs such as diazepam (DZ) and midazolam (MZ) in commercial beverage samples. Morphological characterizations of the LSG material recorded by scanning elec-tron microscopy (SEM) revealed the porous nature of the proposed electrochemical device, which contributed to the enhancement of the electroactive area. Besides, the structural and electrochemical characterizations per-formed by Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements revealed that the PEI-LSG material presents highly disordered graphene-like structures and high electron transfer features, respectively. The electrochemical detection of DZ and MZ was carried out by Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV), whose analytical curves exhibited two linear intervals in concentrations ranging from 2.5 gmol L-1 to 25.0 gmol L-1 and from 25.0 gmol L-1 to 100.0 gmol L-1 for both BZ. We obtained limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of 0.66 and 2.18 gmol L-1 for DZ and 0.61 gmol L-1 and 2.01 gmol L-1 for MZ, respectively. The developed sensor was applied to detect DZ and MZ in commercial beverages such as juice, whisky, and sugarcane spirit samples to mimic potential forensic evidence of drug-facilitated crimes. The recoveries ranged from 97.1% to 117.2% for DZ and from 92.2% to 114.3% for MZ. In addition, the proposed method presented high manufacturing reproducibility (relative standard deviation (RSD) = 2.18% for DZ and RSD = 3.82% for MZ, n = 8 sensors) and adequate selectivity, highlighting the potential of PEI-LSG sensor as an excellent alternative method for forensic detection of crime facilitating drugs in commercial beverage samples. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/08782-1 - Miniaturized and integrated chemical sensors: new fabrication platforms for biological, clinical and environmental applications
• Grantee: Mauro Bertotti
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants