Spectrophotometer on-the-go: The development of a 2-in-1 UV-Vis portable Arduino-based spectrophotometer

spectrophotometer is an important common analytical equipment that measures the concentration of analytes via their absorbance of light at specific wavelengths. However, its cost, lack of portability and requirement of constant power can limit its widespread use and, in some cases, affect the accuracy of its measurements in time-sensitive field tests. Here we describe the development of a portable and low cost Arduino-based 2-in-1 UV-Vis spectrophotometer built from off-the-shelf electronics and 3D printing. The assembled device has an overall dimension of 105 x 90 x 140 mm and has photodiodes capable of detecting light wavelengths at a range of 190-1100 nm, transmitting the readings to its corresponding SpectBT UV-Vis Pro smartphone Android app via Bluetooth (R). The device sensitivity and limit of detection were compared with a commercial research grade spectrophotometer on the quantification of proteins and nucleic acids. The assembled spectrophotometer - 'APD UV-Vis SpectBT performed better for A595 measurements while retaining comparable performance for A280UV measurements. Together, these findings support the assembly of portable self-assembled laboratory equipment for greater accessibility and freedom of mobility. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The development of a portable and low-cost Arduino-based 2-in-1 UV-Vis spectrophotometer is described in the article. The assembled device has good sensitivity and detection limits, and performed comparably to a commercial spectrophotometer in protein and nucleic acid quantification. These findings support the assembly of portable self-assembled laboratory equipment.