Highly selective chemical and biological sensors
First Claim
1. A sensor, comprising:
- a single transducer having transducer electrodes, wherein the single transducer has a multivariate output to independently detect effects of different environmental parameters on the sensor; and
a sensing material disposed on the single transducer and having a preserved magnitude of response to an analyte over a broad concentration range of an interferent, wherein the sensing material is configured to have a preserved magnitude of response for at least six different analyte fluids from an analyzed fluid mixture, and wherein the sensor is configured to sense a first fluid in the analyzed fluid mixture in the presence of a second fluid in the analyzed fluid mixture, and wherein a concentration of the second fluid is at least 1 million times greater than a concentration of the first fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and sensors for selective fluid sensing are provided. Each sensor includes a resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) sensor that is coated with a sensing material. In order to collect data, an impedance spectrum is acquired over a relatively narrow frequency range, such as the resonant frequency range of the LCR circuit. A multivariate signature may be calculated from the acquired spectrum to discern the presence of certain fluids and/or fluid mixtures. The presence of fluids is detected by measuring the changes in dielectric, dimensional, resistance, charge transfer, and other changes in the properties of the materials employed by observing the changes in the resonant electronic properties of the circuit. By using a mathematical procedure, such as principal components analysis (PCA) and others, multiple fluids and mixtures can be detected in the presence of one another, even in a high humidity environment or an environment wherein one or more fluids has a substantially higher concentration (e.g. 10×, 1,000,000×) compared to other components in the mixture.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A sensor, comprising:
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a single transducer having transducer electrodes, wherein the single transducer has a multivariate output to independently detect effects of different environmental parameters on the sensor; and a sensing material disposed on the single transducer and having a preserved magnitude of response to an analyte over a broad concentration range of an interferent, wherein the sensing material is configured to have a preserved magnitude of response for at least six different analyte fluids from an analyzed fluid mixture, and wherein the sensor is configured to sense a first fluid in the analyzed fluid mixture in the presence of a second fluid in the analyzed fluid mixture, and wherein a concentration of the second fluid is at least 1 million times greater than a concentration of the first fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A sensor, comprising:
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a single transducer having transducer electrodes, wherein the single transducer has a multivariate output to independently detect effects of different environmental parameters on the sensor; and a composite sensing material disposed on the single transducer and having a preserved magnitude of response to an analyte over a broad concentration range of an interferent, wherein the composite sensing material comprises a plurality of individual sensing materials that are homogeneously or inhomogeneously mixed or locally patterned over specific portions of the single transducer such that each of the plurality of individual sensing materials is arranged to respond to analytes by predominantly different response mechanisms, and wherein the composite sensing material is phase-separate due to hydrophylic/hydrophobic interactions or mutual immiscibility, formed as sectors of individual materials deposited adjacent to each other onto a single sensor, or formed as layers of individual materials deposited on top of each other onto a single sensor. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A sensor, comprising:
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a single transducer having transducer electrodes, wherein the single transducer has a multivariate output to independently detect effects of different environmental parameters on the sensor; a sensing material disposed on the single transducer and having a preserved magnitude of response to an analyte over a broad concentration range of an interferent; and an integrated circuit device comprising a diode rectifier, a network analyzer, a first processor, and a second processor; wherein the integrated circuit device is configured to control selectivity of the sensor response; wherein the diode rectifier is configured to power the sensor to at least two power levels to affect at least one of the dipole moment, the dielectric constant, and the temperature of the sensing material; wherein the network analyzer is configured to collect spectral parameters of the sensor response at the at least two power levels; wherein the first processor is configured to perform multivariate analysis of the spectral parameters from combined impedance spectral profiles of the sensor at the different power levels; and wherein the first processor or the second processor are configured to calculate values of environmental parameters to which the sensor is exposed from data produced by performing the multivariate analysis. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification