Carbon nanotube sensor

• US 8,920,619 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2010
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Inventors: Salzer, Corey Alan, Young, Russell Martin, Carrabba, Michael Mario, Rajasekharan, Vishnu Vardhanan, Fair, Christopher Patrick, Fitzgerald, Terrance William, Carpenter, Frank Howland Jr., Lee, John Edwin
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, BACH T
• Application Number:
  US12/952,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20120125771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 20440301-40315, 204416-420, 204431-435
• US Class Current: 204/403.03
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/008 comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/06 pH
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/29 Chlorine compounds
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/308 at least partially made of carbon
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1886 using probes, e.g. submersible probes, buoys
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/37 using solar energy

Abstract

The present invention provides a remote monitoring system for monitoring the operation of a fluid treatment system and/or the qualities, characteristics, properties, etc., of the fluid being processed or treated by the fluid treatment system. The present invention also relates to carbon nanotube sensors.

Claims

1. A sensing device, comprising:

a substrate; and

four carbon nanotube arrays arranged on the substrate, each one of said four carbon nanotube arrays individually including;

a plurality of carbon nanotube rows, each row including a plurality of carbon nanotubes, each carbon nanotube in a respective row being directly bound at one end to the substrate,

first and second contiguous array sections, the first array section including at least two rows of the plurality of carbon nanotube rows, and the second array section including at least one row of the plurality of carbon nanotube rows, the carbon nanotubes within an array section having the same functionality,

each array section being configured to be individually addressable, such that all carbon nanotubes within the array section are addressable via a common connection line, and

each array section being configured to sense a corresponding analyte when exposed to a fluid solution containing one or more analytes.

2. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the first array section having a first functionality and the carbon nanotubes in the second array section having a second functionality.

3. The sensing device of claim 2, wherein the first functionality is different from the second functionality.

4. The sensing device of claim 2, wherein the first functionality is the same as the second functionality.

5. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the at least two carbon nanotube rows are adjacent carbon nanotube rows.

6. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube rows in the first section and the carbon nanotube rows in the second section are alternating carbon nanotube rows.

7. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the two array sections sense different analytes.

8. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotubes in at least one array section are hydrophilic.

9. The sensing device of claim 1, wherein the first array section is separated from the second array section by a distance which is substantially the same as a distance between two adjacent rows of said plurality of carbon nanotube rows.