Highly selective chemical and biological sensors

• US 10,634,637 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (GE Vernova, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Surman, Cheryl Margaret, Kandapallil, Binil
• Primary Examiner(s): Eom, Robert J
• Application Number:
  US15/794,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20180045671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 915 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/025 a current being generated within the material by induction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3278 involving nanosized elements, e.g. nanogaps or nanoparticles nanopores G01N33/48721; magnetic beads G01N27/745
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/48792 Data management, e.g. communication with processing unit for in vivo diagnostics A61B5/0002; transmission systems for measured values G08C

Abstract

Methods and sensors for selective fluid sensing are provided. A sensor includes a resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) circuit and a sensing material disposed over the LCR circuit. The sensing material includes a coordination compound of a ligand and a metal nanoparticle. The coordination compound has the formula: (X)_n-M, where X includes an alkylamine group having the formula (R—NH₂), an alkylphosphine having the formula (R₃—P), an alkylphosphine oxide having the formula (R₃P═O), an alkyldithiocarbamate having the formula (R₂NCS₂), an alkylxanthate having the formula (ROCS₂), or any combination thereof, R includes an alkyl group, n is 1, 2, or 3, and M includes the metal nanoparticle of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, alloys thereof, highly conductive metal nanoparticles, or any combination thereof. The sensing material is configured to allow selective detection of at least six different analyte fluids from an analyzed fluid mixture.

Claims

1. A method of detecting chemical or biological species in a fluid, comprising:

measuring a real part and an imaginary part of an impedance spectrum of a resonant sensor antenna coated with a coordination compound of a ligand and a metal nanoparticle, wherein the ligand comprises a primary alkyl amine, trialkylphosphine, trialkylphosphine oxide, alkyldithiocarbamate, alkylxanthate or any combination thereof;

calculating at least six spectral parameters of the resonant sensor antenna coated with the coordination compound, wherein the at least six spectral parameters comprise at least six of a frequency of a maximum of the real part of the impedance spectrum, a magnitude of the real part of the impedance spectrum, a resonant frequency of the imaginary part of the impedance spectrum, an anti-resonant frequency of the imaginary part of the impedance spectrum, a signal magnitude at the resonant frequency of the imaginary of the impedance spectrum, a signal magnitude at the anti-resonant frequency of the imaginary part of the impedance spectrum, and a zero-reactance frequency of the imaginary portion of the impedance spectrum;

reducing the impedance spectrum to a single data point using multivariate analysis to selectively identify an analyte; and

determining one or more environmental parameters from the impedance spectrum.

2. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the coordination compound has the formula:

(X)_n-M, wherein;

X comprises an alkylamine group having the formula (R—

NH₂), an alkylphosphine having the formula (R₃—

P), an alkylphosphine oxide having formula (R₃P═

O), an alkyldithiocarbamate having the formula (R₂NCS₂), an alkylxanthate having the formula (ROCS₂), or any combination thereof;

R comprises an alkyl group, wherein the alkyl group has the formula C_yH_2y+1, wherein y=1 to 18;

n is 1, 2, or 3; and

M comprises the metal nanoparticle of gold, silver, platinum, palladium, alloys thereof, highly conductive metal nanoparticles, or any combination thereof.

3. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein measuring the impedance spectrum and calculating the at least six spectral parameters comprises measuring over a resonant frequency range of the resonant sensor.

4. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein calculating at least six spectral parameters comprises calculating the frequency of the maximum of the real part of the impedance spectrum and the magnitude of the real part of the impedance spectrum.

5. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein calculating at least six spectral parameters comprises calculating the resonant frequency of the imaginary part of the impedance spectrum and the anti-resonant frequency of the imaginary part of the impedance spectrum.

6. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein determining one or more environmental parameters from the impedance spectrum comprises determining a resistance and a capacitance of the resonant sensor coated with the coordination compound.

7. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein reducing the impedance spectrum to a single data point comprises calculating a multivariate signature.

8. The method, as set forth in claim 7, wherein calculating the multivariate signature comprises using principal components analysis.

9. The method, as set forth in claim 1, wherein measuring the impedance spectrum and calculating the at least six spectral parameters comprises supplying power to an integrated circuit (IC) chip of the resonant sensor at a first predetermined power level.

10. The method, as set forth in claim 9, wherein measuring the impedance spectrum and calculating at least six spectral parameters comprises alternating the power supplied to the IC chip of the resonant sensor between the first predetermined power level and a second predetermined power level.

11. The method, as set forth in claim 10, wherein the first predetermined power level and the second predetermined power level are between −

50 dBm and +40 dBm.