Laser-Induced Carbon Electrodes in a Three-Dimensionally Printed Flow Reactor for Detecting Lead Ions

Abstract

Nowadays, heavy metal pollution has attracted wide attention. Many electrochemical methods have been developed to detect heavy metal ions. The electrode surface usually needs to be modified, and the process is complicated. Herein, we demonstrate the fabrication of electrodes by direct laser sintering on commercial polymer films. The prepared porous carbon electrodes can be used directly without any modification. The electrodes were fixed in a 3D-printed flow reactor, which led to very little analyte required during the detection process. The velocities of the analyte under stirring and flowing conditions were simulated numerically. The results prove that flow detection is more conducive to improving detection sensitivity. The limit of detection is about 0.0330 mg/L for Pb 2+ . Moreover, the electrode has been proved to have good repeatability and stability.

Microfluidic Devices for Heavy Metal Ions Detection: A Review

“…This square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) system is characterized by a better sensitivity and reproducibility compared to a traditional ASV-based method with a detection limit of 0.2 μg L −1 (0.2 ppb). B. Ding et al [ 73 ] have fabricated a 3D-printed flow reactor in which porous carbon electrodes made via direct laser sintering on polymer films are placed. This scheme is used for Pb 2+ detection with an LOD of 0.0330 mg L −1 .…”