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Polyester resin and graphite flakes: turning conductive ink to a voltammetric sensor for paracetamol sensing

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Abstract

The development of a disposable electrochemical paper-based analytical device (ePAD) is described using a novel formulation of conductive ink that combines graphite powder, polyester resin, and acetone. As a proof of concept, the proposed sensor was utilized for paracetamol (PAR) sensing. The introduced ink was characterized via morphological, structural, and electrochemical analysis, and the results demonstrated appreciable analytical performance. The proposed ePAD provided linear behavior (R2 = 0.99) in the concentration range between 1 and 60 µmol L−1, a limit of detection of 0.2 µmol L−1, and satisfactory reproducibility (RSD ~ 7.7%, n = 5) applying a potential of + 0.81 V vs Ag at the working electrode. The quantification of PAR was demonstrated in different pharmaceutical formulations. The achieved concentrations revealed good agreement with the labeled values, acceptable accuracy (101% and 106%), and no statistical difference from the data obtained by HPLC at the 95% confidence level. The environmental impact of the new device was assessed using AGREE software, which determined a score of 0.85, indicating that it is eco-friendly. During the pharmacokinetic study of PAR, it was found that the drug has a maximum concentration of 23.58 ± 0.01 µmol L−1, a maximum time of 30 min, and a half-life of 2.15 h. These results are comparable to other studies that utilized HPLC. This suggests that the combination of graphite powder and polyester resin can transform conductive ink into an effective ePAD that can potentially be used in various pharmaceutical applications.

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The data generated and analyzed during the development of this study are inserted in the published article and its supplementary material files.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Multi-user Laboratory of high-resolution microscopy (LabMic/UFG) for using their facilities during (SEM and Raman) measurements. The Laboratory of Clinical Analysis and Health Education (LACES) of the Biological Sciences Institute from Federal University, Dr. Gabriela Bazílio, and Professor Gabriela Duarte are also acknowledged for using their facilities during the sample preparation and manipulation.

Funding

The authors would like to thank CAPES (finance code 88887.192880/2018–00 and 001), CNPq (grants 307554/2020–1, 405620/2021–7, 142412/2020–1, and 146507/2022–3) and INCTBio (grant 465389/2014–7) for the financial support and granted scholarships and researcher fellowship.

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Author notes

  1. Laísa C. Oliveira, Danielly S. Rocha, and Habdias A. Silva-Neto contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74605-170, Brazil

    Laísa C. Oliveira

  2. Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil

    Laísa C. Oliveira, Danielly S. Rocha, Habdias A. Silva-Neto & Wendell K. T. Coltro

  3. Instituto de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Goiânia, GO, 74175-100, Brazil

    Thaísa A. C. Silva

  4. Instituto Nacional de Ciência E Tecnologia de Bioanalítica, Campinas, SP, 13084-971, Brazil

    Wendell K. T. Coltro

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  1. Laísa C. Oliveira
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Oliveira, L.C., Rocha, D.S., Silva-Neto, H.A. et al. Polyester resin and graphite flakes: turning conductive ink to a voltammetric sensor for paracetamol sensing. Microchim Acta 190, 324 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-023-05914-9

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