Reference electrode with a pore membrane
AssigneeImec Vzw
InventorsMarcel Zevenbergen, Geert Altena, Pawel Bembnowicz, Martijn Goedbloed
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods described herein include a reference electrode for being immersed in a bulk solution. The reference electrode comprises a reservoir having reservoir walls defining a reservoir volume filled with an electrolyte; an electrode in the reservoir, in contact with the electrolyte. The reservoir of the reference electrode is closed except for the presence of at least one pore in at least one of the reservoir walls, the at least one pore being filled with electrolyte and being adapted for allowing ionic contact between the electrolyte in the reservoir and the bulk solution into which the reference electrode is to be immersed.
Claims9
A reference electrode for being immersed in a bulk solution, the reference electrode comprising:
- a reservoir having reservoir walls defining a reservoir volume filled with an electrolyte, wherein the reservoir volume is from about 1 to about 1000 microliters;
- a single meandering planar channel formed on a surface of at least one reservoir wall of the reservoir walls, wherein the single meandering planar channel meanders side-to-side within edges of the at least one reservoir wall and within a plane of the surface;
- and
- an electrode arranged on the at least one reservoir wall, in contact with the electrolyte, wherein the reservoir is closed except for a presence of the single meandering planar channel, the single meandering planar channel being filled with electrolyte and being adapted for allowing ionic contact between the electrolyte in the reservoir and the bulk solution into which the reference electrode is to be immersed, and wherein a quantity
- (D·A)/(L·Vres)
- for the reference electrode is smaller than 1 sec−1, where D is a diffusion coefficient of the ions in the electrolyte, A is a cross-sectional area of the single meandering planar channel, L is a length of the single meandering planar channel, and Vres is a volume of the reservoir.
A method for producing a reference electrode, the method comprising:
- creating a reservoir, the reservoir comprising a single meandering planar channel formed on a surface of at least one reservoir wall of the reservoir, whereby the reservoir is initially open on one side, and wherein the single meandering planar channel meanders side-to-side within edges of the at least one reservoir wall and within a plane of the surface;
- providing an electrode on the surface of the at least one reservoir wall;
- filling the reservoir with an electrolyte, wherein the single meandering planar channel is filled with electrolyte and allows for ionic contact between the electrolyte in the reservoir and a bulk solution into which the reference electrode is to be immersed, and wherein a quantity
- (D·A)/(L·Vres)
- for the reference electrode is smaller than 1 sec−1, where D is a diffusion coefficient of the ions in the electrolyte, A is a cross-sectional area of the single meandering planar channel, L is a length of the single meandering planar channel, and Vres is a volume of the reservoir;
- and
- thereafter closing the reservoir, wherein the volume of the reservoir is from about 1 to about 1000 microliters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.