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1Highly efficient laser-induced synthesis of sensor-active materials on flexible surfaces from deep eutectic solvents
A. Levshakova1*, E. Khairullina1, R. Ninayan1, A. Manshina1
1-Institute of Chemistry, Saint Petersburg University, SPbU, 7/9 Universitetskaya nab.,
St. Petersburg 199034, Russia
In recent years, the fabrication of sensor-active materials has received a lot of attention from the scientific community and has been used in various fields such as health monitoring, environment, biotechnology and space applications [1]. Flexible sensors are of particular interest as they can be integrated on irregularly shaped surfaces or surfaces subject to bending. Various additive manufacturing methods have been used to develop such materials, including laser-induced liquid phase deposition (LID), which is a highly efficient and cost-effective method for laser synthesis of sensor-active materials on dielectric surfaces [2]. In this method, the laser beam is focused on the phase boundary of the metal solution-substrate and the reduction of metal ions occurs, resulting in the deposition of metal nanostructures on the substrate.
Previous work from our group has shown that deep eutectic solvents (DES) can be used as a deposition medium for the synthesis of copper structures on glass surfaces using laser irradiation [3]. DES are a promising replacement for molecular organic solvents and ionic liquids. The use of DES in laser-induced synthesis has led to a more than 200-fold increase in process speed compared to aqueous systems [4].
In this work, DES LID on the surfaces of the flexible polymers PEN, PI and PET is presented. In addition, despite significant progress in the field of laser synthesis, the problem of high consumption of reagents and human labour in the process of optimising experimental parameters is still unresolved. The laser response is most influenced by parameters such as laser power and scanning speed. Therefore, in the present work it has been proposed to carry out the optimisation of LID conditions from DES on the surfaces of different polymers (PEN, PET, PI) using the Nelder-Mead method (fig. 1). The proposed approach can be used for highly efficient, fast and cost-effective synthesis of flexible metal electrodes for enzyme-free sensor detection.
Figure 1. a) Diagram of the Nelder-Mead method for laser synthesis of copper structures on the PET surface, b) Electrode photographs, c) SEM images of electrodes.
This work was supported by RSF 23-49-10044.
[1] Y. Liu, et al, Micro/Nano Electrode Array Sensors: Advances in Fabrication and Emerging Applications in Bioanalysis, Front Chem. Vol. 8, (2020).
[2] E. Khairullina, et al, Rapid and effective method of laser metallization of dielectric materials using deep eutectic solvents with copper acetate, J Mater Sci. Vol. 58, № 22, P. 9322-9336, (2023).
[3] A.S. Levshakova, et al, Modification of nickel micropatterns for sensor-active applications from deep eutectic solvents, Opt Quantum Electron. Vol. 55, № 3, P. 267, (2023).
[4] R. Ninayan, et al, Water-induced changes in choline chloride-carboxylic acid deep eutectic solvents properties, Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp., Vol. 679, P. 132543, (2023).
