8/8
This study provides a roadmap for tuning 3D-printed electrochemical sensors through thoughtful pretreatment and material selection.

7/8
Not all conductive filaments or pretreatments are equal.

Surface chemistry, carbon structure, and resistivity together define 3D-printed electrode performance. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.

6/8
NaOH activation and Au NP deposition each altered surface roughness and capacitance differently for each material.
• BlackMagic 3D showed the strongest roughness and capacitance gains.
• ProtoPasta was least affected.
• Amolen showed microelectrode-like behavior after NaOH activation!

5/8
• Filaments act as partially blocked electrodes, where insulating regions limit electron transfer.
• Outer-sphere reactions were consistent across treatments and the voltammetry is limited mainly by uncompensated resistance.
• Inner-sphere responses varied dramatically with pretreatment.

4/8
Using TGA, SEM, and Raman microscopy, we characterized surface structure and morphology, then benchmarked electrochemical behavior. We looked at the background processes (capacitance and solvent windows) and the Faradaic processes with outer- and inner-sphere redox mediators.

3/8
We compared three popular commercial conductive PLA filaments: Amolen (carbon black), ProtoPasta (carbon black), and BlackMagic 3D (graphene).

Each underwent three pretreatments: Alumina polishing, NaOH electrochemical activation, and Au nanoparticle electrodeposition.

2/8
3D-printed electrochemical sensors are rapidly transforming how we design and deploy analytical devices because they're low-cost, customizable, and made anywhere.

But… conductive filaments behave differently depending on the electrode surface treatment (and there are a lot of options).

Treat it like a manuscript? #chemsky_v02

The point of peer-review is the deep thinking after you have read & annotated the paper where you synthesise your thoughts into a coherent argument, combining them with all of your experience, to try to improve the article. This is where I often learn the most, and where the most value emerges.

And still is the worldview for many/most of us

Should have looked through my timeline first...