Electrode assembly including iridium based mercury ultramicroelectrode array
First Claim
1. An electrode assembly for use in quantifying the levels of various metals in an aqueous solution, said electrode assembly comprising:
- a) a substrate; and
b) an array of ultramicroelectrodes arranged on said substrate, each of said ultramicroelectrodes comprising a layer of iridium and a layer of mercury, said mercury layer being disposed on said iridium layer.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electrode assembly for use in quantifying the levels of various metals in an aqueous solution. In one embodiment, the electrode assembly comprises a substrate, the substrate being a silicon chip upon which a layer of silicon dioxide has been grown. A plurality of gold bond pads and gold interconnect traces are deposited by microphotolithography onto the silicon dioxide layer. An array of iridium deposits are then patterned by microphotolithography onto the interconnect traces at predefined locations. A passivation layer is deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition over the finished metallization to electrically insulate it from external solutions. Plasma etching is then used to expose at least a portion of each of the iridium deposits. Just prior to analytical use, one or more of the exposed iridium elements are electroplated with mercury. The present invention is also directed to a field deployable sensor including the above-described electrode assembly.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An electrode assembly for use in quantifying the levels of various metals in an aqueous solution, said electrode assembly comprising:
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a) a substrate; and b) an array of ultramicroelectrodes arranged on said substrate, each of said ultramicroelectrodes comprising a layer of iridium and a layer of mercury, said mercury layer being disposed on said iridium layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of making an electrode assembly comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a substrate, said substrate having a non-conductive top surface; b) depositing iridium onto said non-conductive top surface of said substrate; and c) depositing a quantity of mercury onto at least a portion of said iridium deposit. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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15. A method of making an electrode assembly comprising the steps of:
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a) providing a substrate, said substrate having a non-conductive top surface; b) forming an array of iridium ultramicroelectrodes on said non-conductive top surface of said substrate; and c) depositing a quantity of mercury on said iridium ultramicroelectrodes. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A portable sensor adapted to detect the levels of metals in an aqueous solution, said portable sensor comprising:
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a) an elongated housing having a porous tip for permitting the passage therethrough of the aqueous solution being tested; b) an electrode assembly appropriately disposed within said elongated housing to sample the aqueous solution, said electrode assembly comprising i) a substrate; and ii) an array of ultramicroelectrodes arranged on said substrate, each of said ultramicroelectrodes comprising a layer of iridium and a layer of mercury, said mercury layer being disposed on said iridium layer; c) a reference electrode appropriately disposed within said elongated housing to sample the aqueous solution; and d) electronics disposed within said elongated housing for performing simple or pulsed voltammetric techniques such as anodic stripping voltammetry. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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Specification