A Hybrid Approach for Large-scale Fabrication of Paper-based Electrochemical Assays for Biomedical Diagnosis

Abstract

The electrochemical method offers a sensitive, portable, and cost-effective method for detecting a range of analytes and has the capacity to be miniaturized. However, according to the World Health Organization, there is a need for point-of-care devices that meet the criteria for medical diagnostics in remote and resource-limited regions, as set forth by the World Health Organization. In this context, we developed a low-cost and high-throughput method for fabricating paper-based devices for electrochemical assays using a desktop pen plotter. In this study, we used a permanent marker to plot hydrophobic barriers and a liquid dispenser to pattern three electrodes (working, counter, and reference electrodes) with carbon paste on a paper substrate. To test the performance of the fabricated electrochemical devices, chronoamperometric and cyclic voltammetric analyses of potassium ferricyanide was conducted. Further, to demonstrate of the possible biomedical diagnostic applications, a quantitative glucose assay was performed. Here, we presented a low-cost electrochemical device fabrication method convenient for large-scale fabrication and widespread implementation of paper-based technologies in developing countries and resource-limited settings.