DEVELOPMENT OF CONDUCTIVE INKS FOR BIOSENSORS APPLICATIONS

Printed sensors have emerged as a prominent area in electrochemical research, offering rapid, specific, portable, sensitive, low-cost, and accurate analyses. Screen-printed electrodes can be fabricated manually or using commercial equipment, allowing printing of various inks on different plastic or ceramic substrates. In this study, homemade carbon and silver inks were used for the fabrication of printed cells on polyester substrates with different dimensions and configurations, named E1, E2, and E3. Different formulations of graphite and silver inks were analyzed, including conductive material, varnish, binder, and acetone. After analyzing the electrode performance with the different inks produced, the percentage of additive in the final ink composition was varied. Silhouette Studio software was used for electrode design. The curing temperature and curing time of each ink were evaluated. The influence of curing temperature was investigated over a range of 20 to 100 °C. The curing time was varied between 5 and 40 min. The resistance of the produced ink was evaluated as a function of the number and length of layers. To fabricate the electrodes, the proposed model was printed on matte adhesive paper. Subsequently, an adhesive sheet containing the electrode templates was  dhered to the polyester substrate. Graphite ink was deposited on the substrate using an appropriate squeegee. The prepared conductive ink exhibited good electrochemical performance and high potential for applications in printed electronics. The constructed electrochemical device resulted in dimensions of 18.5 x 31.8 x 0.5 mm, with each working electrode having a geometric area of 6.47 mm².