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

• US 8,136,658 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SmartTip BV
• Original Assignee: SmartTip BV
• Inventors: Schönherr, Holger, Tocha-Bielak, Ewa Agnieszka, Bijl, Daniel Bastiaan, Vancso, Gyula Julius
• Primary Examiner(s): Gehman, Byron
• Application Number:
  US12/745,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20110203945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 206205-2131, 206/524.1, 206/524.4, 422/1, 422/22, 422/56, 422/560, 422/7, 422/23
• US Class Current: 206/210
• 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, comprising;

keeping at least the sensing area submerged in a storage solution, said storage solution having a composition that comprises at least 80% by volume of one or more of the compounds in the group consisting of water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol, with the provisos that;

a) if ethanol is present, the ethanol is present in a concentration of no more than 93% by volume of the storage solution; and

b) if water is present, the water 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 comprises at least 90% by volume of at least two compounds chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol.

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

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

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

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the inert gas is argon.

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

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

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

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

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

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the storage solution comprises at least 98% by volume of at least two compounds chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein each of at least two compounds chosen from water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol are present in a concentration of at least 30% by volume each with respect to the storage solution.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the storage solution is treated with argon.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the sensor is an atomic force microscopy sensor having a self-assembled monolayer.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the storage solution contains at least 25% by volume isopropanol and at least 10% by volume of either water or ethanol.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an atomic force microscopy sensor having a self-assembled monolayer.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the sensor has a sensing area of less than 400 nm².

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the storage solution is treated with argon.

20. 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 being submerged in a storage solution, said storage solution having a composition that comprises at least 80% by volume of one or more of the compounds in the group consisting of water, ethanol, triethylene glycol and isopropanol, with the provisos that;

a) if ethanol is present, the ethanol is present in a concentration of no more than 93% by volume of the storage solution; and

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