“We utilised the latest advances in materials and manufacturing such as nanoparticle 3D printing to create a device that rapidly detects COVID-19 antibodies,” said Rahul Panat, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon who uses specialised additive manufacturing techniques across his biomedical research.
To create the device, the team used an additive technique known as aerosol jet 3D printing. Tiny, inexpensive gold micropillar electrodes were printed at nanoscale by thermally sintering aerosol droplets together. This causes a rough, irregular surface that provides increased surface area of the micropillars and an enhanced electrochemical reaction, where antibodies can latch on to antigens coated on the electrode. The specific geometry allows the micropillars to load more proteins for detection, resulting in very accurate, quick results.