Investigating the electrochemical profile of methamphetamine to enable fast on-site detection in forensic analysis

Drăgan, Ana-Maria; Parrilla, Marc; Sleegers, Nick; Slosse, Amorn; Durme, Filip Van; Nuijs, Alexander L.N. van; Oprean, Radu; Cristea, Cécilia; Wael, Karolien De

doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2022.124208

Cited by 16 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Nevertheless, in the literature, it is reported that the relative amount of paracetamol in seized samples is 10% at maximum. 13,40 When the mixture contains 0.75 mM of paracetamol, the methamphetamine peak is clearly visible, as shown by the green dotted line in Figure 5d.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Previous research of the fingerprints of methamphetamine showed a significant shift of the peak potential to lower voltages at higher concentrations. 13 Furthermore, it was demonstrated that a higher sample amount (7.5 mM) resulted in more reliable detection of methamphetamine in the presence of other compounds. Therefore, both 1 mM and 7.5 mM methamphetamine standard solutions were tested in the microfluidic system.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A characteristic peak can be identified at pH 12 (mean E p = 0.767 ± 0.002 V, N = 3), and no peaks are detected at pH 5, corresponding to literature. 13 Figure S6 shows the 7.5 mM results as well. For the higher concentration, the mean peak value shifted not significantly (0.027 ± 0.006 V, N = 3) in the microfluidic system.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heroin and MDMA can be detected at pH 5 and pH 12 10,11 and cocaine and methamphetamine at pH 12, but not at pH 5. 12,13 Currently, the technique relies on manual selection of the buffer solution with the right pH by the operator based on a first visual inspection of the suspicious sample. 14 In this paper, we introduce for the first time the design of a disposable microfluidic platform that will automatically bring the sample solution to the right pH and transports it to the electrochemical sensor (i.e., screen-printed electrodes).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Steijlen,

Parrilla,

Van Echelpoel

et al. 2023

Anal. Chem.

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Electrochemical sensors have emerged as a new analytical tool for illicit drug detection to facilitate ultrafast and accurate identification of suspicious compounds on-site. Drugs of abuse can be identified using their unique voltammetric fingerprint at a given pH. Today, the right buffer solution is manually selected based on drug appearance, and in some cases, a consecutive analysis in two different pH solutions is required. In this work, we present a disposable microfluidic multichannel sensor system that automatically records fingerprints in two pH solutions (e.g., pH 5 and pH 12). This system has two advantages. It will overcome the manual selection of a buffer solution at the right pH, decrease analysis time, and minimize the risk of human errors. Second, the combination of two fingerprints, the superfingerprint, contains more detailed information about the samples, which enhances the selectivity of the analytical technique. First, real-time pH measurements proved that the sample can be brought to the desired pH within a minute. Subsequently, an electrochemical study on the microfluidic platform with 1 mM illicit drug standards of MDMA, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine showed that the characteristic voltammetric fingerprints and peak potentials are reproducible, also in the presence of common cutting agents. Finally, the microfluidic concept was validated with real confiscated samples, showing promising results for the user-friendly identification of drugs of abuse. In short, this paper presents a successful proof-of-concept study of a multichannel microfluidic sensor system to enrich the fingerprints of illicit drugs at pH 5 and pH 12, thus providing a low-cost, portable, and rapid identification system of illicit drugs with minimal user intervention.

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Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Steijlen,

Parrilla,

Van Echelpoel

et al. 2023

Anal. Chem.

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“…It was very cost-effective since no modification or functionalization of the carbon SPEs was needed, and the surfactant, SDS, is very cheap and readily available. There was a more recent effort from the P.I.’s group to investigate the electrochemical detection of methamphetamine using square wave voltammetry on disposable graphite SPEs, resulting in very sensitive detection [ 50 ].…”

Section: Sensing Using Commercially Available Carbon Screen-printed E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in the Development of Portable Electrochemical Sensors for Controlled Substances

Dai

2023

Sensors

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This review article summarizes recent achievements in developing portable electrochemical sensing systems for the detection and/or quantification of controlled substances with potential on-site applications at the crime scene or other venues and in wastewater-based epidemiology. Electrochemical sensors employing carbon screen-printed electrodes (SPEs), including a wearable glove-based one, and aptamer-based devices, including a miniaturized aptamer-based graphene field effect transistor platform, are some exciting examples. Quite straightforward electrochemical sensing systems and methods for controlled substances have been developed using commercially available carbon SPEs and commercially available miniaturized potentiostats. They offer simplicity, ready availability, and affordability. With further development, they might become ready for deployment in forensic field investigation, especially when fast and informed decisions are to be made. Slightly modified carbon SPEs or SPE-like devices might be able to offer higher specificity and sensitivity while they can still be used on commercially available miniaturized potentiostats or lab-fabricated portable or even wearable devices. Affinity-based portable devices employing aptamers, antibodies, and molecularly imprinted polymers have been developed for more specific and sensitive detection and quantification. With further development of both hardware and software, the future of electrochemical sensors for controlled substances is bright.

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Rationally Designed Ionically Conductive Metal‐Organic Frameworks for Ultrasensitive Methamphetamine Analogs Sensor

Xiong,

Li,

Yang

et al. 2024

Adv Funct Materials

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Achieving convenient, sensitive, low‐cost, and non‐contact detection of trace addictive drugs is a challenging problem. Herein, a novel ionically conductive metal‐organic framework (IC‐MOFs) is designed through a controlled interface assembly strategy. The active metal anions are incorporated into the layered MOFs with a porous structure, forming charge carriers that served as effective adsorption/binding sites for N‐methylphenethylamine (MPEA), a crucial simulator of addictive drugs. The in situ integrated Zn3(HHTP)2‐MOF sensor device designed in this study demonstrated real‐time detection of sub‐ppb level MPEA at room temperature, with an exceptionally low theoretical detection limit of 20 ppt. The overall sensing performance of this sensor surpassed all previously reported chemical sensors for detecting methamphetamine. The Zn3(HHTP)2‐MOF sensor exhibited outstanding selectivity, rapid response time (ca. 5 s), excellent long‐term stability, amenable miniaturization, and device consistency. The device successfully passed dual 85 test (500 h at 85 °C and 85% of humidity), which is rarely report previously. Density functional theoretical calculations (DFT) and spectral characterization confirmed that the prominent selectivity of Zn3(HHTP)2‐MOF toward MPEA is attributed to the strong binding ability. The general and straightforward strategy provides brand‐new route to exploiting smart sensors for drug prevention and surveillance.

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Investigating the electrochemical profile of methamphetamine to enable fast on-site detection in forensic analysis

Cited by 16 publications

References 47 publications

Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Dual Microfluidic Sensor System for Enriched Electrochemical Profiling and Identification of Illicit Drugs On-Site

Recent Advances in the Development of Portable Electrochemical Sensors for Controlled Substances

Rationally Designed Ionically Conductive Metal‐Organic Frameworks for Ultrasensitive Methamphetamine Analogs Sensor

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