High performance, low cost carbon nanotube yarn based 3D printed electrodes compatible with a conventional screen printed electrode system

Abstract

3D printing technology has been widely used as a rapid prototyping fabrication tool in several fields, including electrochemistry. In this work, we incorporate 3D printing technology with carbon nanotube yarns for electrochemical sensing of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid. The novel 3D printed electrode provides a circular concavity detection zone with grooves to insert three electrodes. The electrode connections are fully compatible with conventional screen printed electrode workstation setups. The CNT yarn 3D printed electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity for the redox reaction of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA) and uric acid (UA). Three well-defined sharp and fully resolved anodic peaks were found with the peak potentials using cyclic voltammetry (CV) at 50 mV, 305 mV, and 545 mV for AA, DA, and UA respectively and using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) at 91 mV, 389 mV, and 569 mV, respectively. DA detection limit was 0.87 ± 0.09 μM. The CNT yarn 3D printed electrode displayed high reproducibility and stability. The electrode design enables the study of electrode reactions at the sidewall of CNTs, which cannot be performed using electrodes made by conventional fabrication methods. The new fabrication method provides a new platform to prototype new electrode materials for electrochemistry, providing a low-cost, customizable design compatible existing screen printed electrodes technology.

Electrochemical Detection of Neurotransmitters

“…Furthermore, alternative electrode fabrication technology involving 3D printing has been used with CNT yarns to develop a new platform for electrochemical sensing of dopamine in the presence of UA and AA [31]. This innovative CNT yarn 3D printed electrode displayed promising electrocatalytic activity for the redox reaction of DA in the presence of AA and UA.…”

Different Electrochemical Behavior of Cationic Dopamine from Anionic Ascorbic Acid and DOPAC at CNT Yarn Microelectrodes

“…Thus, the temporal resolution is higher than CFMEs. 18,21,22 In addition, the secondary oxidation peak, due to cyclization of the reduced species, is enhanced at CNTYMEs. 21 These peaks are not typically observed at CFMEs, because they would diffuse away from the surface, but in a structure that promotes trapping, they are easily detected.…”

“…15 They have improved sensitivity and electron transfer kinetics for neurotransmitter detection. [16][17][18][19][20] Our previous study demonstrated that CNTYMEs trap compounds in the crevices of CNT forests, leading to thin layer cell-like electrochemical behavior. 15,16,21 Unlike CFMEs, which experience a dramatic signal loss at high repetition frequencies in FSCV, the trapping effect of CNTYMEs result in high signals for catecholamine neurotransmitters at high repetition frequencies.…”