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Nucleic acids are ubiquitous in biological samples and can be sensitively detected using nucleic acid amplification assays. To achieve highly accurate and reliable results, nucleic acid isolation and purification is often required and can limit the accessibility of these assays. Encapsulation of these workflows onto a single device may be achieved through fabrication methodologies featuring commercial three-dimensional (3D) printers. This study aims to characterize fused deposition modeling (FDM) filaments based on their compatibility with nucleic acid storage using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). To study the adsorption of nucleic acids, storage vessels were fabricated using six common thermoplastics including: polylactic acid (PLA), nylon, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), co-polyester (CPE), polycarbonate (PC), and polypropylene (PP). DNA adsorption of a short 98 base pair and a longer 830 base pair fragment to the walls of the vessel was shown to vary significantly among the polymer materials as well as the color varieties of the same polymer. PLA storage vessels were found to adsorb the least amount of the 98 base pair DNA after 12 hours of storage in 2.5 M NaCl TE buffer whereas the ABS and PC vessels adsorbed up to 97.2 ± 0.2% and 97.5 ± 0.2%. DNA adsorption could be reduced by decreasing the layer height of the 3D printed object, thereby increasing the functionality of the ABS storage vessel. Nylon was found to desorb qPCR inhibiting components into the stored solution which led to erroneous DNA quantification data from qPCR analysis. 

Purpose This paper aims to study the mass loss of three-dimensional (3D) printed materials at high temperatures. A preconcentration and analysis technique, static headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (SHS-GC-MS), is demonstrated for the analysis of volatile compounds liberated from fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA) 3D printed models under elevated temperatures. Design/methodology/approach A total of seven commercial 3D printing materials were tested using the SHS-GC-MS approach. The printed model mass and mass loss were examined as a function of FDM printing parameters including printcore temperature, model size and printing speed, and the use of SLA postprocessing procedures. A high temperature resin was used to demonstrate that thermal degradation products can be identified when the model is incubated under high temperatures. Findings At higher printing temperatures and larger model sizes, the initial printed model mass increased and showed more significant mass loss after thermal incubation for FDM models. For models produced by SLA, the implementation of a postprocessing procedure reduced the mass loss at elevated temperatures. All FDM models showed severe structural deformation when exposed to high temperatures, while SLA models remained structurally intact. Mass spectra and chromatographic retention times acquired from the high temperature resin facilitated identification of eight compounds (monomers, crosslinkers and several photoinitiators) liberated from the resin. Originality/value The study exploits the high sensitivity of SHS-GC-MS to identify thermal degradation products emitted from 3D printed models under elevated temperatures. The results will aid in choosing appropriate filament/resin materials and printing mechanisms for applications that require elevated temperatures.