Sensors for detecting analytes in fluids
First Claim
1. A method for detecting an analyte in a fluid, said method comprising:
- contacting a sensor array with a fluid comprising said analyte, said sensor array comprising a first and a second sensor electrically connected to an electrical measuring apparatus, wherein said first sensor comprises a region of nonconducting organic material and a region of conducting material compositionally different than said nonconducting organic material; and
an electrical path through said regions of nonconducting organic material and said conducting material, thereby detecting said analyte in said fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Chemical sensors for detecting analytes in fluids comprise first and second conductive elements (e.g., electrical leads) electrically coupled to and separated by a chemically sensitive resistor which provides an electrical path between the conductive elements. The resistor comprises a plurality of alternating nonconductive regions (comprising a nonconductive organic polymer) and conductive regions (comprising a conductive material) transverse to the electrical path. The resistor provides a difference in resistance between the conductive elements when contacted with a fluid comprising a chemical analyte at a first concentration, than when contacted with a fluid comprising the chemical analyte at a second different concentration. Arrays of such sensors are constructed with at least two sensors having different chemically sensitive resistors providing dissimilar such differences in resistance. Variability in chemical sensitivity from sensor to sensor is provided by qualitatively or quantitatively varying the composition of the conductive and/or nonconductive regions. An electronic nose for detecting an analyte in a fluid may be constructed by using such arrays in conjunction with an electrical measuring device electrically connected to the conductive elements of each sensor.
97 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for detecting an analyte in a fluid, said method comprising:
contacting a sensor array with a fluid comprising said analyte, said sensor array comprising a first and a second sensor electrically connected to an electrical measuring apparatus, wherein said first sensor comprises a region of nonconducting organic material and a region of conducting material compositionally different than said nonconducting organic material; and
an electrical path through said regions of nonconducting organic material and said conducting material, thereby detecting said analyte in said fluid.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An array of sensors for detecting an analyte in a fluid, said sensor array comprising a first and a second sensor electrically connected to an electrical measuring apparatus, wherein said first sensor comprises a region of nonconducting organic material and a region of conducting material compositionally different than said nonconducting organic material;
- and an electrical path through said regions of nonconducting organic material and said conducting material.
- View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
Specification