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The widespread application of electrodialysis is constrained by the high cost of ion exchange membranes, necessitating the development of affordable alternatives. This study focuses on the fabrication and performance evaluation of cation exchange membranes made from polyethersulfone (PES) and sulfonated polyethersulfone (sPES). Membranes were synthesized through phase inversion with varying solvent evaporation times, using N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent. The structural and functional modifications were confirmed using FTIR, XPS, and AFM techniques. Performance tests identified optimal electrodialysis results for PES membranes with a 3 h solvent evaporation time and for sPES membranes with a 1 h evaporation time. Under varying operational conditions, including applied voltage, flow rates, and feed solutions, sPES membranes demonstrated superior performance, underscoring their potential for cost-effective brackish water desalination applications. 

A reusable and cost-effective paper-in-polymer-pond (PiPP) hybrid microfluidic microplate with unique features for ultrasensitive and high-throughput multiplexed detection of disease biomarkers within an hour without using specialized instruments. 

A disposable paper-based glucose biosensor with direct electron transfer (DET) of glucose oxidase (GOX) was developed through simple covalent immobilization of GOX on a carbon electrode surface using zero-length cross-linkers. This glucose biosensor exhibited a high electron transfer rate (ks, 3.363 s−1) as well as good affinity (km, 0.03 mM) for GOX while keeping innate enzymatic activities. Furthermore, the DET-based glucose detection was accomplished by employing both square wave voltammetry and chronoamperometric techniques, and it achieved a glucose detection range from 5.4 mg/dL to 900 mg/dL, which is wider than most commercially available glucometers. This low-cost DET glucose biosensor showed remarkable selectivity, and the use of the negative operating potential avoided interference from other common electroactive compounds. It has great potential to monitor different stages of diabetes from hypoglycemic to hyperglycemic states, especially for self-monitoring of blood glucose.