Methods for remote characterization of an odor

• US 20080262743A1
• Filed: 04/14/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Erik Severin, Nathan S. Lewis
• Original Assignee: Erik Severin, Nathan S. Lewis
• Inventors: Severin, Erik, Lewis, Nathan S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0031 comprising two or more sensors, e.g. a sensor array
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0075 for multiple spatially distributed sensors, e.g. for environmental monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/731 formed from a single atom, molecule, or cluster
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/773 Nanoparticle, i.e. structure having three dimensions of 100 nm or less
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/956 Of mechanical property
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/959 Of disease state

Abstract

Provided are compositions and systems useful in remote monitoring of chemical hazards, air quality, and medical conditions, for example, robotic systems to search for and detect explosives, mines, and hazardous chemicals. In addition, the methods, systems and compositions of the invention provide the ability to mine data from a database containing a plurality of chemical fingerprints.

Claims

1-59. -59. (canceled)

60. A method for characterization of a gaseous or vapor sample, comprising:

contacting at least one sensor with a gaseous or vapor sample, wherein the sample contains at least one analyte, the at least one sensor comprising a composite having regions of an electrically conductive material and a material compositionally different than the electrically conductive material and wherein the at least one sensor provides a detectable signal when contacted by the at least one analyte;

converting the detectable signal to a digital representation of the detectable signal;

comparing the digital representation to a database of digital representations of known analytes;

identifying a match between the digital representations;

transmitting data corresponding to the match and data associated with the matched digital representation to a remote location via the internet, fiber-optic cable, and/or an air-wave frequency; and

storing the data on a storage device.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the at least one sensor is a plurality of sensors.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein at least one other sensor is selected from the group consisting of surface acoustic wave sensors, quartz crystal resonators, metal oxide sensors, dye-coated fiber optic sensors, dye-impregnated bead arrays, micromachined cantilever arrays, composites having regions of conducting material and regions of insulating organic material, composites having regions of conducting material and regions of conducting or semi-conducting organic material, chemically-sensitive resistor or capacitor film, metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors, and bulk organic conducting polymeric sensors.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the data is a digital profile representation of the detectable signal from each of the plurality of sensors.

64. The method of claim 60, wherein the at least one sensor is an electrically conductive sensor.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the electrically conductive sensor comprises regions of the electrically conductive material and a material compositionally different than the electrically conductive material, wherein the sensor provides an electrical path through the regions of the electrically conductive material and the regions of the compositionally different material, and wherein the conductivity changes upon adsorption with the at least one analyte.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein at least one region of compositionally different material of one sensor is a different thickness than the region of compositionally different material of at least one other sensor.

67. The method of claim 65, wherein the compositionally different material is selected from the group consisting of polyanilines, an emeraldine salt of polyanilines, polypyrroles, polythiophenes, polyEDOTs, and derivatives thereof.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the sensor further comprises an insulator or plasticizer.

69. The method of claim 65, wherein the electrically conductive material is carbon black, Ag, Au, Pd, Cu, Ni, AuCu, or Pt.

70. The method of claim 60, wherein the at least one sensor comprise composites having regions of the electrically conducting material and regions of a non-conducting organic material.

71. The method of claim 60, wherein the sample is an environmental sample.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein the environmental sample is an air sample.

73. The method of claim 71, wherein the environmental sample is the headspace of a liquid sample.

74. The method of claim 60, wherein the sample is a biological sample.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein the biological sample is selected from the group consisting of a breath sample, a urine sample, a vaginal sample, a feces sample, a tissue sample and a blood sample.

76. The method of claim 74, wherein the biological sample is a breath sample.

77. The method of claim 60, wherein the database further comprises at least one identifier associated with the digital representation of known analytes.

78. The method of claim 77, wherein the at least one identifier is selected from the group consisting of location, time, age, sex, disease state, temperature, sample source, sample type, organism, and ethnicity.

79. The method of claim 60, wherein the analyte is identified by a best match of the data to a data profile in the database and identifying any identifiers associated with the data profile.

80. The method of claim 60, further comprising outputting the match to a user.

81. A method for characterization of a disease in a subject comprising:

contacting at least one sensor with a gaseous or vapor sample comprising an at least one analyte obtained from the subject, the at least one sensor comprising a composite having regions of an electrically conductive material and a material compositionally different than the electrically conductive material and wherein the at least one sensor provides a detectable signal when contacted by the at least one analyte;

converting the detectable signal to a digital representation of the detectable signal;

comparing the digital representation to a database of digital representations of known analytes;

identifying a match between the digital representations;

transmitting data corresponding to the match and data associated with the matched digital representation to a remote location via the internet, fiber-optic cable, and/or an air-wave frequency; and

outputting the identity of the at least one analyte present in the gaseous or vapor sample thereby characterizing the disease.