method of preserving a sensor in a container and a container containing a sensor and a storage solution

• US 20110203945A1
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartTip BV (Bruker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Stichting Voor de Technische Wetenschappen, Universiteit Twente
• Inventors: Bijl, Daniel Bastiaan, Vancso, Gyula Julius, Tocha-Bielak, Ewa Agnieszka, Schönherr, Holger
• Granted Patent: US 8,136,658 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/205
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01Q 70/00 General aspects of SPM probes, their manufacture or their related instrumentation, insofar as they are not specially adapted to a single SPM technique covered by group G01Q60/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of preserving a sensor in a container, said sensor comprising a sensing area of metallic or a semi-conducting material covered with molecules having a MW>100 Dalton, said molecules being bound to the material wherein at least the sensing area of the layer is kept submerged in a storage solution, said storage solution having a composition that consists for at least 80% by volume of at least one compound chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol, with the provisios that

if the concentration of ethanol is at least 80 vol. % of the storage solution ethanol is present in a concentration of no more than 93% by volume of the storage solution;

if water is present, it is present in a concentration of less than 80% by volume of the storage solution. The invention also relates to a container containing a sensor and a storage solution.

Claims

1. A method of preserving a sensor in a container, said sensor comprising a sensing area of metallic or a semi-conducting material covered with molecules having a MW>

100 Dalton, said molecules being bound to the material wherein at least the sensing area of the layer is kept submerged in a storage solution, said storage solution having a composition that consists for at least 80% by volume of at least one compound chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol, with the provisios that

if the concentration of ethanol is at least 80 vol. % of the storage solution ethanol is present in a concentration of no more than 93% by volume of the storage solution;

if water is present, it is present in a concentration of less than 80% by volume of the storage solution.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage solution consists for at least 90, preferably at least 95 and most preferably at least 98% by volume of at least 2 compounds chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein at least two compounds chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol are present, and at least two of these compounds are present in a concentration of at least 8% by volume each with respect to the storage solution, preferably 20% by volume, and more preferably at least 30% by volume each.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the storage solution consists of at least 90% by volume of water and isopropanol.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage solution is treated with an inert gas, preferably argon.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the storage solution consists of at least 90% by volume of water and isopropanol.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the storage solution is treated with an inert gas, preferably argon.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the storage solution is treated with an inert gas, preferably argon.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein the storage solution is treated with an inert gas, preferably argon.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the storage solution is treated with an inert gas, preferably argon.

6. Container containing a sensor and a storage solution, said sensor comprising a sensing area of metallic or a semi-conducting material covered with molecules having a MW>

100 Dalton, said molecules being bound to the material, at least the sensing area of the layer being submerged in a storage solution, said storage solution having a composition that consists for at least 80% by volume of at least one compound chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol, with the provisios that

if the concentration of ethanol is at least 80 vol. % of the storage solution ethanol is present in a concentration of no more than 93% by volume of the storage solution;

if water is present, it is present in a concentration of less than 80% by volume of the storage solution.