Highly catalytic screen-printing ink

• US 7,018,568 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LifeScan IP Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Animas Technologies LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Tierney, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kopec, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): VIJAYAKUMAR, KALLAMBELLA M
• Application Number:
  US10/327,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20030155557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 252/502, 252/511, 252/514, 252/518, 106/31.16, 106/31.77, 106/31.85, 106/31.92, 106/1.21, 106/1.24, 525/333.3, 204/403.15, 204/294, 204/292, 204/290.15, 600/347
• US Class Current: 252/511
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C08K 3/08 Metals
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/101 Inks specially adapted for printing processes involving curing by wave energy or particle radiation, e.g. with UV-curing following the printing
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/30 Inkjet printing inks
• CPC Class Codes: C09D 11/52 Electrically conductive inks

Abstract

The invention is directed to conductive polymer compositions, catalytic ink compositions (e.g., for use in screen-printing), electrodes produced by deposition of an ink composition, methods of making, and methods of using thereof. An exemplary ink material comprises platinum black and/or platinum-on-carbon as the catalyst, graphite as a conducting material, a polymer binding material, and an organic solvent. The polymer binding material is typically a copolymer of hydrophilic and hydrophobic monomers. The conductive polymer compositions of the present invention can be used, for example, to make electrochemical sensors. Such sensors can be used in a variety of analyte monitoring devices to monitor analyte amount or concentrations in subjects, for example, glucose monitoring devices to monitor glucose levels in subjects with diabetes.

Claims

1. A conductive polymer composition comprising:

about 0.01% a to about 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the dry composition, of a transition metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, and rhodium;

an electrically conductive graphite selected from the group consisting of synthetic graphite, pyrolytic graphite, and natural graphite; and

a copolymer of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the composition comprises about 0.1% to about 2% by weight of the catalyst, about 50% to about 75% of the graphite, and about 15% to about 25% of the copolymer, based on the total weight of the dry composition.

3. The composition of claim 2, wherein the catalyst is platinum.

4. The composition of claim 2, wherein the catalyst is platinum and said platinum is deposited on graphite.

5. The composition of claim 1, wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing a mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate, and the unsubstituted styrene is present in an amount between about 10% to about 90% by weight of the reaction mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing a mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate, and the unsubstituted styrene is present in an amount between about 40% to about 80% by weight of the reaction mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate.

7. The composition of claim 6, wherein the catalyst is platinum and said platinum is deposited on graphite.

8. The composition of claim 2, wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing a mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate;

the methyl methacrylate is present at a concentration from about 40% to about 90% by weight or the mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate; and

the unsubstituted styrene is present at a concentration from about 10% to about 60% by weight of the mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate.

9. The composition of claim 8, wherein the catalyst is platinum and said platinum is deposited on graphite.

10. The composition of claim 8, wherein the composition consists of the catalyst, the graphite, and the copolymer.

11. The composition of claim 10, wherein the catalyst is platinum and said platinum is deposited on graphite.

12. An electrode, the electrode comprising the conductive polymer composition of claim 10 on a non-conducting substrate.

13. A method of producing the conductive polymer composition of claim 1, said method comprising mixing said transition metal catalyst, said graphite, said copolymer, and a solvent to obtain a homogenous mixture, and removing said solvent.

14. A method of making the electrode of claim 12, said method comprising mixing said transition metal catalyst, said graphite, said copolymer, and a solvent to obtain a homogenous mixture, depositing said homogenous mixture on said non-conducting substrate, and removing said solvent.

15. An ink composition, comprising:

about 0.003% to about 1.6% by weight of a transition metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, and rhodium;

an electrically conductive graphite selected from the group consisting of synthetic graphite, pyrolytic graphite, and natural graphite;

a copolymer of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate; and

an organic solvent;

wherein the % by weight of the transition metal catalyst is based on the total weight of the total weight of the solvent, the graphite, the transition metal catalyst, and the copolymer.

16. The composition of claim 15 wherein the composition comprises about 0.03% to about 1% by weight of the catalyst, about 15% to about 25% of the graphite, about 4% to about 8% of the copolymer, and about 50% to 80% of the solvent, based on the total weight of the solvent, the graphite, the transition metal catalyst, and the copolymer.

17. The composition of claim 16 wherein the solvent is glycol diacetate.

18. The composition of claim 16 wherein the solvent is ethylene glycol diacetate.

19. The composition of claim 16, wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing a mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate;

the methyl methacrylate is present at a concentration from about 40% to about 9% by weight of the mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate; and

the unsubstituted styrene is present at a concentration from about 10% to about 60% by weight of the mixture of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate.

20. The composition of claim 19, wherein the catalyst is platinum.

21. The composition of claim 19, wherein the catalyst is platinum and said platinum is deposited on graphite.

22. The composition of claim 16, wherein the composition consists of the catalyst, the graphite, the copolymer, and the solvent.

23. The composition of claim 22, wherein graphite is synthetic graphite or pyrolytic graphite.

24. The composition of claim 22, wherein the solvent is ethylene glycol diacetate.

25. A method of making an electrode, the method comprising depositing the ink composition of claim 19 on a non-conducting substrate, and removing said solvent.

26. An ink composition, comprising:

about 0.03% to about 1.0% by weight of a transition metal catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum, palladium, and rhodium;

a copolymer of unsubstituted styrene and methyl methacrylate;

graphite; and

glycol diacetate, wherein the % by weight of the transition metal catalyst is based on the total weight of the glycol diacetate, the graphite, the transition metal catalyst, and the copolymer.

27. The composition of claim 26, wherein the catalyst is platinum and the platinum is deposited on graphite.

28. The composition of claim 27 wherein the composition comprises about 0.03% to about 1% by weight of the catalyst, about 15% to about 25% by weight of the graphite, about 4% to about 8% by weight of the copolymer, and about 50% to 80% by weight of the glycol diacetate, based on the total weight of the glycol diacetate, the graphite, the transition metal catalyst, and the copolymer.

29. The composition of claim 28, wherein the composition consists of the glycol diacetate, the graphite, the transition metal catalyst, and the copolymer.

30. The composition of claim 29, wherein the glycol diacetate is ethylene glycol diacetate.