Chemiresistor urea sensor
First Claim
1. A chemiresistor device in combination with a urea monitor, said chemiresistor device comprising:
- a substrate,an insulating layer deposited on at least one surface of the substrate,at least a patterned layer of conductive material including at least one set of interdigitated members deposited on said insulating layer, anda layer of encapsulation material deposited on at least the interdigitated members,said layer of encapsulated material being composed of a sol-gel and including an immobilized bioactive component composed of urease,said urea monitor comprising,a housing having said chemiresistor device operatively mounted therein, andelectronic means and readout means therefore,said housing being provided with means for inserting a test strip into said housing for providing a reading of urea conditions via said readout means.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A sensor to detect and quantify urea in fluids resulting from hemodialysis procedures, and in blood and other body fluids. The sensor is based upon a chemiresistor, which consists of an interdigitated array of metal fingers between which a resistance measured. The interdigitated array is fabricated on a suitable substrate. The surface of the array of fingers is covered with a coating containing the enzyme urease which catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to form the ammonium ion, the bicarbonate ion, and hydroxide-chemical products which provide the basis for the measured signal. In a typical application, the sensor could be used at bedside, in conjunction with an appropriate electronics/computer system, in order to determine the hemodialysis endpoint. Also, the chemiresistor used to detect urea, can be utilized with a reference chemiresistor which does not contain urease, and connected in a differential measurement arrangement, such that the reference chemiresistor would cancel out any fluctuations due to background effects.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A chemiresistor device in combination with a urea monitor, said chemiresistor device comprising:
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a substrate, an insulating layer deposited on at least one surface of the substrate, at least a patterned layer of conductive material including at least one set of interdigitated members deposited on said insulating layer, and a layer of encapsulation material deposited on at least the interdigitated members, said layer of encapsulated material being composed of a sol-gel and including an immobilized bioactive component composed of urease, said urea monitor comprising, a housing having said chemiresistor device operatively mounted therein, and electronic means and readout means therefore, said housing being provided with means for inserting a test strip into said housing for providing a reading of urea conditions via said readout means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus for detecting/monitoring urea, including:
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a chemiresistor sensor containing an array of interdigitated fingers covered by a coating composed of a sol-gel containing urease, a reference chemiresistor, containing an array of interdigitated fingers without a coating containing urease, said chemiresistor sensor and said reference chemiresistor being operatively connected to a differential amplifier, said differential amplifier being operatively connected to a microcomputer, a function generator operatively connected to at least one of said chemiresistor sensor and said reference chemiresistor, and a display/recorder mechanism operatively connected to said microcomputer.
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Specification