Manufatura aditiva circular: utilizando e reciclando materiais termoplásticos para desenvolver sensores analíticos

Abstract

Additive printing technologies have emerged as powerful tools for the development of portable analytical instrumentation including electrochemical sensors. Before using the device, pre-treatment methods are required to improve the electrochemical performance. Additionally, the additive printing method used thermoplastic polymers that can be harmful to the environment compartments. In this report, we successfully developed five different strategies to manufacture 3D-printed electrodes and have also introduced an initiative for recycling thermoplastic materials in order to create electrodes on paper substrate, contributing to the circular economy. The ecological impact of each proposed method was evaluated also. An activation process was performed by using Fenton's reagents, H2O2 (15%, v/v) and Fe (10 mg L-1 ) in the presence of ultraviolet radiation (5 min), followed by an electrochemical oxidation step in the presence of acetic acid (1.8 V vs C for 200 s). The proposed activation method has used non-toxic reagents and showed excellent improvement in the electrochemical responses with long-term stability (~ 2 months). The manufactured 3D-printed electrodes have exhibited suitable values of limit of detection (at µmol L-1 levels) for different analytes, including metals such as Cd(II) (0.009; 1.01 µg L-1 ) and Pb(II) (0.006; 1.24 µg L-1 ), midazolam maleate (0.54) , uric acid (0.71), adrenaline (0.61), S-nitroso-cysteine (4.1) and folic acid (5.1). In addition, the analytical methodologies described here also demonstrated an excellent ecological profile according to the 12 principles of Green Analytical Chemistry.