Single-Use Fluidic Electrochemical Paper-Based Analytical Devices Fabricated by Pen Plotting and Screen-Printing for On-Site Rapid Voltammetric Monitoring of Pb(II) and Cd(II).

Dionysios Soulis,Christos Kokkinos,Anastasios Economou,Mamas Prodromidis,Maria Trachioti

doi:10.3390/s21206908

Abstract

This work reports the fabrication of integrated electrochemical fluidic paper-based analytical devices (ePADs) using a marker pen drawing and screen-printing. Electrodes were deposited on paper using screen-printing with conductive carbon ink. Then, the desired fluidic patterns were formed on the paper substrate by drawing with a commercial hydrophobic marker pen using an inexpensive computer-controlled x-y plotter. The working electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy. The analytical utility of the electrochemical PADs is demonstrated through electrochemical determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) by anodic stripping voltammetry. For this purpose, the sample was mixed with a buffer solution and a Bi(III) solution, applied to the test zone of the PAD, the metals were preconcentrated as a bismuth alloy on the electrode surface and oxidized by applying an anodic potential scan. The proposed manufacturing approach enables the large-scale fabrication of fit-for-purpose disposable PADs at low cost which can be used for rapid on-site environmental monitoring.

Highlights

Heavy metals are toxic species that can accumulate in living organisms via the consumption of food and water, breathing, and absorption through the skin [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]
Electrochemical characterization of the electrochemical fluidic paper-based analytical devices (ePADs) was performed by cyclic voltammetry
CVs were recorded at different scan rates and the anodic and cathodic peaks currents were plotted as a function of the square root of the scan rate

Summary

Introduction

Heavy metals are toxic species that can accumulate in living organisms via the consumption of food and water, breathing, and absorption through the skin [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Lead and cadmium represent a major concern for public health due to their high toxicity even at low concentrations. Since heavy metal species usually exist at trace levels in different samples, sensitive spectroscopic approaches are considered the “golden standard” for their determination [11,12,13]. Electroanalytical methods, and in particular stripping analysis, have been widely used for trace metal quantification thanks to their remarkable sensitivity which is due to the preconcentration step of the target metals on the surface of the working electrode [14,15]. Stripping analysis exhibits some additional advantages compared to optical techniques, such as inexpensive and portable instrumentation, low power requirements, and rapidity which increase its scope for field analysis

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Results

Conclusion