Multi-walled carbon nanotubes/carbon black/rPLA for high-performance conductive additive manufacturing filament and the simultaneous detection of acetaminophen and phenylephrine

Author(s)

Crapnell, Robert D. ; Arantes, Iana V. S. ; Camargo, Jessica R. ; Bernalte, Elena ; Whittingham, Matthew J. ; Janegitz, Bruno C. ; Paixao, Thiago R. L. C. ; Banks, Craig E.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Microchimica Acta; v. 191, n. 2, p. 12-pg., 2024-02-01.

Abstract

The combination of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and carbon black (CB) is presented to produce a high-performance electrically conductive recycled additive manufacturing filament. The filament and subsequent additively manufactured electrodes were characterised by TGA, XPS, Raman, and SEM and showed excellent low-temperature flexibility. The MWCNT/CB filament exhibited an improved electrochemical performance compared to an identical in-house produced bespoke filament using only CB. A heterogeneous electrochemical rate constant, k(obs)(0) of 1.71 (+/- 0.19) x 10(-3) cm s(-1) was obtained, showing an almost six times improvement over the commonly used commercial conductive CB/PLA. The filament was successfully tested for the simultaneous determination of acetaminophen and phenylephrine, producing linear ranges of 5-60 and 5-200 mu M, sensitivities of 0.05 mu A mu M-1 and 0.14 mu A mu M-1, and limits of detection of 0.04 mu M and 0.38 mu M, respectively. A print-at-home device is presented where a removable lid comprised of rPLA can be placed onto a drinking vessel and the working, counter, and reference components made from our bespoke MWCNT/CB filament. The print-at-home device was successfully used to determine both compounds within real pharmaceutical products, with recoveries between 87 and 120% over a range of three real samples. This work paves the way for fabricating new highly conductive filaments using a combination of carbon materials with different morphologies and physicochemical properties and their application to produce additively manufactured electrodes with greatly improved electrochemical performance. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 23/00321-3 - Screen-printed carbon electrodes for the detection of clinical and pharmaceutical compounds
• Grantee: Jéssica Rocha Camargo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 17/21097-3 - Bee-agriculture interactions: perspectives to sustainable use
• Grantee: Osmar Malaspina
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 19/15065-7 - Development of paper-based electrochemical systems aiming flow analysis of forensic samples
• Grantee: Iana Vitória Spadini Arantes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 19/23177-0 - Development of disposable devices with conductive inks and low cost substrates for the biosensing of hormonal dysfunctions and detection of Malaria
• Grantee: Jéssica Rocha Camargo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 22/07552-8 - Development of complete and miniaturized 3D-printed flow electrochemical systems for analytical applications
• Grantee: Iana Vitória Spadini Arantes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• 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