Multimaterial 3D Printing for the Development and Manufacturing of Eletromembrane Extraction Devices for Analytical Applications

Abstract

3D printing and its increasing popularity have been revolutionizing various fields, including Chemistry. By employing this additive manufacturing technique, devices for several analytical applications can be fabricated in a single step, offering greater versatility and speed when compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. In this project, devices for electromembrane extraction (EME) with integrated porous membranes and electrodes will be manufactured using multimaterial 3D printing. To achieve these goals, a multimaterial 3D printer with DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology, developed within our research group, will be used to print different materials in a single printing step. Developing formulations of polymerizable resins and optimizing printing parameters will enable the printing of porous materials (membranes) and electrically conductive materials (electrodes). The porosity, thickness, and chemical composition of the printed membranes will be optimized to allow for the proper immobilization of liquid membranes (solvents immiscible in water) for EME or even eliminate the need for these solvents. Once the manufacturing and design of the EME devices are optimized, they will be employed for the extraction and preconcentration of various environmentally and food safety-relevant compounds, which will be quantified using capillary electrophoresis. (AU)