Lab-on-a-chip for alkalinity analysis

• US 9,182,353 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2011
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Inventors: Salzer, Corey Alan, Rajasekharan, Vishnu Vardhanan, Huenig, Isabel Nicola, Froemel, Rainer, Lenhard, Markus, Uthemann, Rolf Dieter, Farjam, Aria
• Primary Examiner(s): Gakh, Yelena G
• Application Number:
  US13/187,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20120021527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,573 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/7763 Sample through flow
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/78 producing a change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/79 Photometric titration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/80 Indicating pH value
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/182 Specific anions in water

Abstract

Described is a lab-on-a-chip device and a method employing a lab-on-a-chip device for determining the concentration of species present in water.

Claims

1. A device for alkalinity testing of an aqueous sample, comprising:

one or more portable devices, each of the one or more portable devices comprising;

a sample channel comprising;

a longitudinal pathway portion with a first reagent zone,

a pre-optical pathway portion above the longitudinal pathway portion, the pre-optical pathway portion including at least one bend,

a traverse optical pathway portion above the pre-optical pathway portion, the traverse optical pathway portion extending along the width of a portable device and having at least one transparent window on at least one side thereof, and

a post-optical pathway portion that includes at least one bend and a second reagent zone,

wherein the first reagent zone comprises a pH indicator and a buffer for determining pH of the aqueous sample, and

wherein the second reagent zone comprises an acidic or basic color shifting reagent for an optical measurement of a reverse flow of the aqueous sample through the traverse optical pathway portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the color shifting reagent comprises one or more strong acids.

3. The device of claim 1, further comprising a reader including an optical system, wherein a portable device of the one or more portable devices comprises an alignment interface for aligning the traverse optical pathway portion with the optical system of the reader into which the portable device is inserted.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the pH indicator, the buffer and the color shifting reagent is dry.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the traverse optical pathway portion comprises first and second windows on opposite sides thereof.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the traverse optical pathway portion comprises a window and a mirror on opposite sides thereof.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more portable devices comprises two or more portable devices.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the pre-optical pathway portion comprises a third reagent zone in front of the first reagent zone, the third reagent zone comprising an acid for titrating the aqueous sample.