Characterising the response of novel 3D printed CNT electrodes to the virulence factor pyocyanin
Caitlin McLean, Benjamin Tiller, R. Mansour, Kelly Brown, James F. C. Windmill, Lynn Dennany
Abstract
Electrochemical based sensors have become increasing popular within biomedical applications. Their low cost, high portability and flexibility in regard to manufacturing materials makes them ideal candidates for point of care sensors. The virulence factor pyocyanin is a useful diagnostic biomarker for the detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium, and its phenolic functionality makes it an ideal candidate for electrochemical detection. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) exhibit a number of desirable characteristics for use as electrode materials. Not only are they cheap to acquire, they offer superb conductivity and boast high electroactive surface area. To this extent we investigated in-house 3D printed carbon nanotube electrodes for the detection of pyocyanin down to clinically relevant concentrations. Comparison was drawn against the traditional glassy carbon electrodes, with our manufactured electrodes achieving detection limits down to 1 µM, manufacturing reproducibility of 19% and a linear response across the entire therapeutic range. As such, demonstrating the feasibility to manufacture CNT sensors for point of care devices with analytical performance largely comparable to the expensive conventional electrode systems.