Electromembrane extraction and preconcentration of carbendazim and thiabendazole in water samples before capillary electrophoresis analysis.

Electromembrane extraction using a polypropylene hollow fiber impregnated with 1-ethyl-2-nitrobenzene was evaluated for the extraction and preconcentration of the fungicides thiabendazole and carbendazim from water samples before capillary electrophoresis analysis. The composition of the supported liquid membrane, the HCl concentration in the acceptor solution, and the stirring rate (of the donor solution) were optimized using the one-variable-at-a-time method. In contrast, a face-centered central composition design was used for optimization of voltage, extraction time, and concentration of HCl in the donor solution. After optimization, electromembrane extraction provided enrichment factors of 50 and 26 for thiabendazole and carbendazim that allowed us to achieve limits of detection of 1.1 and 2.3 µg/L, respectively. Repeatability (intraday precision) expressed as the relative standard deviation varied from 2.5 to 2.8%, while the interday precision ranged from 3.1 to 3.3%. The proposed method was applied for analysis of samples of tap and river water, and acceptable precision and accuracy were attained.

Influence of filament aging and conductive additive in 3D printed sensors.

3D printing technology combined with electrochemical techniques have allowed the development of versatile and low-cost devices. However, some aspects need to be considered for the good quality and useful life of the sensors. In this work, we have demonstrated herein that the filament aging, the conductive material, and the activation processes (post-treatments) can influence the surface characteristics and the electrochemical performance of the 3D printed sensors. Commercial filaments and 3D printed sensors were morphologically, thermally, and electrochemically analyzed. The activated graphene-based (Black Magic®) sensor showed the best electrochemical response, compared to the carbon black-filament (Proto-Pasta®). In addition, we have proven that filament aging harms the performance of the sensors since the electrodes produced with three years old filament had a considerably lower intra-days reproducibility. Finally, the activated graphene-based sensor has shown the best performance for the electrochemical detection of bisphenol A, demonstrating the importance of evaluating and control the characteristics and quality of filaments to improve the mechanical, conductive, and electrochemical performance of 3D printed sensors.