title: Fully 3D-Printed Preconcentrator for Selective Extraction of Trace Elements in Seawater.
abstract: In this study, we used a stereolithographic 3D printing technique and polyacrylate polymers to manufacture a solid phase extraction preconcentrator for the selective extraction of trace elements and the removal of unwanted salt matrices, enabling accurate and rapid analyses of trace elements in seawater samples when combined with a quadrupole-based inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. To maximize the extraction efficiency, we evaluated the effect of filling the extraction channel with ordered cuboids to improve liquid mixing. Upon automation of the system and optimization of the method, the device allowed highly sensitive and interference-free determination of Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb, with detection limits comparable with those of most conventional methods. The system's analytical reliability was further confirmed through analyses of reference materials and spike analyses of real seawater samples. This study suggests that 3D printing can be a powerful tool for building multilayer fluidic manipulation devices, simplifying the construction of complex experimental components, and facilitating the operation of sophisticated analytical procedures for most sample pretreatment applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Cheng-Kuan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Pei-Jin
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering and Environmental Sciences, National Tsing-Hua University, Hsinchu, 30013, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuh-Chang
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry*; D052616:Solid Phase Extraction; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements