US 5,489,371 AGranted

Sensor for electrochemical measurements

AssigneeTeknekron Sensor Development Corporation

InventorsJose P. Joseph, Arvind Jina, Michael J. Tierney

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Abstract

This invention relates to a sensor for the direct and continuous measurement of the electrochemical properties of compounds in a high resistivity liquid. The sensor has a housing which includes a porous hydrophilic membrane which may be made of a ceramic, and contains an electrolytic solution. The membrane permits the passage of a portion of the electrolytic solution into the pores thereby facilitating the formation of an interface between the electrolytic solution and the high resistivity liquid and allowing extraction of the compounds in the high resistivity liquid into the electrolytic solution. A porous sensing electrode is positioned directly on the membrane for detecting and measuring the concentration of the compounds extracted from the high resistivity fluid.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An apparatus for directly measuring electrochemical properties of compounds in a high resistivity liquid comprising:

(a) an electrolytic solution;
(b) a housing including a hydrophilic membrane having a plurality of pores for containment of said electrolytic solution and for immersion in said high resistivity liquid;
(c) said hydrophilic membrane for permitting passage of a portion of said electrolytic solution into said plurality of pores and for preventing substantial passage of said high resistivity liquid into said pores thereby facilitating the formation of an interface between said electrolytic solution and said high resistivity liquid in each of said plurality of pores and allowing extraction of said compounds in said high resistivity liquid into said electrolytic solution;
and
(d) a plurality of electrodes, including a porous sensing electrode, immersed in said electrolytic solution with at least the sensing electrode positioned directly on said membrane in proximate relationship to said interface between said electrolytic solution and said high resistivity liquid for detecting and measuring the concentration of said compounds extracted from the high resistivity fluid into the electrolytic solution.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.