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Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) intensify global warming. Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 allows its conversion into value-added chemicals. This work presents the first application of 3D printing to manufacture catalysts for this process. Carbon nanotube-based electrodes printed by fused deposition modeling were functionalized by copper electroplating. The combination of scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical characterization revealed that the electroplating leads to randomly positioned hemispherical copper microparticles with charge transfer characteristics approaching those of planar interfaces. The activity of catalysts was inspected in the saturated solution of CO 2 in aqueous KHCO 3 electrolyte by monitoring the concentration of formate (HCOO À ) as one of reaction products. The Faradaic efficiency vs. electrode potential dependence found in this work is comparable to characteristics reported for conventionally prepared micro-structured copper catalysts. Procedures devised and implemented in this work pave the way for the development of 3D printed electrocatalysts with controlled micro-architecture, activity and product selectivity.

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Highlights An integrated electrochemical platform was manufactured by bi-material 3D printing. It was applied to investigate the reaction between hydrazine and carbon dioxide. Experimental results were supported by finite-element method numerical simulations.

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Fused deposition modeling 3D printing (FDM-3DP) employing electrically conductive filaments has recently been recognized as an exceptionally attractive tool for the manufacture of sensing devices. However, capabilities of 3DP electrodes to measure electric properties of materials have not yet been explored. To bridge this gap, we employ bimaterial FDM-3DP combining electrically conductive and insulating filaments to build an integrated platform for sensing conductivity and permittivity of liquids by impedance measurements. The functionality of the device is demonstrated by measuring conductivity of aqueous potassium chloride solution and bottled water samples and permittivity of water, ethanol, and their mixtures. We further implement an original idea of applying impedance measurements to investigate dimensions of 3DP channels as base structures of microfluidic devices, complemented by their optical microscopic analysis. We demonstrate that FDM-3DP allows the manufacture of microchannels of width down to 80 μm.

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This manuscript investigates the chemical and structural stability of 3D printing materials (3DPMs) frequently used in electrochemistry. Four 3D printing materials were studied: Clear photopolymer, Elastic photopolymer, PET filament, and PLA filament. Their stability, solubility, structural changes, flexibility, hardness, and color changes were investigated after exposure to selected organic solvents and supporting electrolytes. Furthermore, the available potential windows and behavior of redox probes in selected supporting electrolytes were investigated before and after the exposure of the 3D-printed objects to the electrolytes at various working electrodes. Possible electrochemically active interferences with an origin from the 3DPMs were also monitored to provide a comprehensive outline for the use of 3DPMs in electrochemical platform manufacturing.