Multilayer constructs for metabolite strips providing inert surface and mechanical advantage

• US 10,781,513 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2019
• Issued: 09/22/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Materion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Materion Corporation
• Inventors: Goodwin, Kevin V., Newton, Robert R., Asiello, Peter J., Tribick, Ian S., Farquharson, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Noguerola, Alexander S
• Application Number:
  US16/268,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20190233933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 595 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 15/04 comprising metal as the main or only constituent of a layer, which is next to another layer of the same or of a different material next to a bituminous or tarry layer B32B11/08; next to a water-setting substance layer B32B13/06; next to a glass layer B32B17/061; next to a cellulosic plastic layer B32B23/042
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 23/042 of metal
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/20 on organic substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/327 Biochemical electrodes , e.g. electrical or mechanical details for in vitro measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/3272 Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels optical biosensors G01N33/52

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to multilayer constructs for producing metabolite strips. The multilayer constructs include a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface, a thin film metal conductor layer formed on the top surface of the substrate layer and configured to act as an electrode, and a Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) protective layer deposited on top of the metal conductor layer. The metabolic strips can be used, along with various measuring devices, for determining the presence of certain analytes in a specimen and for various like applications.

Claims

1. A multilayer construct comprising:

a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a thin film metal conductor layer formed on the top surface of the substrate layer, wherein the conductor layer is formed from a metal alloy that is a nickel-based alloy, a cobalt-based alloy, an indium-based alloy or a tin-based alloy and wherein the metal alloy further includes aluminum, niobium, titanium, tantalum, rhenium, hafnium, boron, yttrium, chromium, molybdenum, cobalt, ruthenium, tungsten, vanadium, platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), or osmium (Os); and

a protective layer deposited on a top surface of the conductor layer, wherein the protective layer is formed from an oxidized Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO).

2. The multilayer construct of claim 1, further comprising a reagent layer.

3. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of the substrate layer is free of additional conductive layers.

4. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the substrate layer is a non-conductive polymer web.

5. The multilayer construct of claim 4, wherein the non-conductive polymer web is selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl chloride, polycarbonate, polysulfone, nylon, polyurethane, cellulose nitrate, cellulose propionate, cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, polyester, polyimide, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, and combinations thereof.

6. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the metal alloy has a resistivity of less than 100 ohms/sq at a thickness of about 10 nanometers to about 100 nanometers.

7. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the conductor layer and the protective layer are continuous layers.

8. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the protective layer is a fully oxidized transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer.

9. The multilayer construct of claim 8, wherein the protective TCO layer is a semiconductor doped with a donor.

10. The multilayer construct of claim 8, wherein the protective TCO layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, tin dioxide, cadmium oxide, tantalum oxide, gallium indium oxide, cadmium antimony oxide, titanium dioxide, tungsten trioxide, molybdenum trioxide, and combinations thereof.

11. The multilayer construct of claim 1, wherein the protective TCO layer is deposited on the conductor layer using in-situ sputtering.

26. A system for measuring the presence of an analyte in a specimen comprising:

a metabolic test strip comprising a multilayer construct as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a reagent layer that is capable of reacting with the analyte; and

and a measuring device.

27. A method of measuring an analyte in a biological fluid, comprising:

providing a metabolic test strip comprising a multilayer construct as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising a reagent layer that is capable of reacting with the analyte;

coating the metabolic test strip with a biological fluid so that the analyte reacts with the reagent layer; and

exposing the coated test strip to a measuring device to determine the presence of a reaction and the analyte in the fluid.

12. A multilayer construct comprising:

a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a thin film metal conductor layer formed on the top surface of the substrate layer, wherein the conductor layer is formed from a metal alloy that is a nickel-based alloy, a cobalt-based alloy, an indium-based alloy or a tin-based alloy; and

a protective layer deposited on a top surface of the conductor layer, wherein the protective layer is formed from an oxidized Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO);

wherein a pattern is formed from each of the conductor layer and the protective layer.

13. The multilayer construct of claim 12, wherein the pattern formed from the conductor layer is the same as the pattern formed from the protective layer.

14. The multilayer construct of claim 12, further comprising a reagent layer.

15. The multilayer construct of claim 12, wherein the bottom surface of the substrate layer is free of additional conductive layers.

16. The multilayer construct of claim 12, wherein the metal alloy has a resistivity of less than 100 ohms/sq at a thickness of about 10 nanometers to about 100 nanometers.

17. The multilayer construct of claim 12, wherein the conductor layer and the protective layer are continuous layers.

18. The multilayer construct of claim 12, wherein the protective layer is a fully oxidized transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer.

19. The multilayer construct of claim 18, wherein the protective TCO layer is a semiconductor doped with a donor.

20. The multilayer construct of claim 18, wherein the protective TCO layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, zinc oxide, tin dioxide, cadmium oxide, tantalum oxide, gallium indium oxide, cadmium antimony oxide, titanium dioxide, tungsten trioxide, molybdenum trioxide, and combinations thereof.

21. A system for measuring the presence of an analyte in a specimen comprising:

a metabolic test strip comprising a multilayer construct as set forth in claim 12 and further comprising a reagent layer that is capable of reacting with the analyte; and

and a measuring device.

28. A method of measuring an analyte in a biological fluid, comprising:

providing a metabolic test strip comprising a multilayer construct as set forth in claim 12 and further comprising a reagent layer that is capable of reacting with the analyte;

coating the metabolic test strip with a biological fluid so that the analyte reacts with the reagent layer; and

exposing the coated test strip to a measuring device to determine the presence of a reaction and the analyte in the fluid.

22. A multilayer construct comprising:

a substrate layer having a top surface and a bottom surface;

a thin film metal conductor layer formed on the top surface of the substrate layer, wherein the conductor layer is a pure metal conductor, and wherein the conductor layer is configured to act as one or more electrodes; and

a protective layer deposited on a top surface of the conductor layer, wherein the protective layer is formed from an oxidized Transparent Conducting Oxide (TCO).

23. The multilayer construct of claim 22, wherein the pure metal conductor is selected from the group consisting of aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, beryllium, bismuth, boron, cadmium, calcium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, erbium, gadolinium, gallium, germanium, gold, hafnium, indium, iridium, iron, lanthanum, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, niobium, osmium, palladium, platinum, praseodymium, rhenium, rhodium, ruthenium, samarium, selenium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tellurium, terbium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, yttrium, zinc, zirconium, and combinations and mixtures thereof.

24. The multilayer construct of claim 23 further comprising:

a reagent layer.

25. The multilayer construct of claim 22 further comprising:

a reagent layer.