Methods for manufacturing electrochemical sensors, and related electrochemical sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020355640-A1
Application number	US-202016840102-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 3, 2020
Priority date	Apr 4, 2019
Publication date	Nov 12, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods for manufacturing an electrochemical sensor includes forming at least one electrode by printing at least one conductive ink on a surface of at least one substrate. The conductive ink may comprise, e.g., a platinum-group metal, another transition-group metal with a high-temperature melting point, a conductive ceramic material, glass-like carbon, or a combination thereof. The electrochemical sensor may be free of another material over the at least one electrode. An electrochemical sensor, formed according to such methods, may be configured for use in harsh environments (e.g., a molten salt environment). Electrodes of the electrochemical sensor comprise conductive material formed from a printed, conductive ink. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the electrochemical sensor is free of silver, gold, copper, silicon, and polymer materials, such portion being that which is to be exposed to the harsh environment during use of the electrochemical sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for manufacturing an electrochemical sensor:
forming at least one electrode on at least one substrate, comprising printing at least one conductive ink on a surface of the at least one substrate, the conductive ink comprising one or more of:
a platinum-group metal;
another transition-group metal with a melting point greater than about 400° C.;
a conductive ceramic material;
vitreous carbon; or
a combination of any of the foregoing,
the electrochemical sensor being free of another material over the at least one electrode.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the at least one electrode on the at least one substrate comprises printing all of the at least one electrodes of the electrochemical sensor on one of the at least one substrate.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the at least one electrode on the at least one substrate comprises printing the at least one conductive ink on a surface of at least one substrate comprising a ceramic material.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the at least one electrode on the at least one substrate comprises printing the at least one conductive ink on a surface of at least one substrate comprising one or more of a ceramic material, sapphire, or quartz.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the printing comprises inkjet printing the at least one conductive ink on the surface of the at least one substrate.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the printing comprises aerosol jet printing the at least one conductive ink on the surface of the at least one substrate.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, after forming the at least one electrode on the at least one substrate, submerging at least a portion of the at least one electrode and the at least one substrate within a molten salt.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming at least one electrode on at least one substrate comprises printing the at least one conductive ink on the surface of the at least one substrate to form the at least one electrode to have a width of less than about 100 μm.

9 . An electrochemical sensor for use in a molten salt environment, the electrochemical sensor comprising:
a working electrode on at least one substrate, the working electrode comprising a conductive material; and a counter electrode on the at least one substrate, the counter electrode comprising another conductive material, wherein at least a portion of the electrochemical sensor, to be inserted into a molten salt environment during use of the electrochemical sensor, is free of silver, gold, copper, silicon, and polymer materials.

10 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein the working electrode and the counter electrode are disposed on one of the at least one substrate.

11 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 10 , wherein the electrochemical sensor further comprises a reference electrode on the one of the at least one substrate.

12 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein the electrochemical sensor further comprises a reference electrode at least partially laterally circumscribing the working electrode.

13 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 12 , wherein:
the working electrode and the reference electrode are disposed on a first substrate of the at least one substrate; and the counter electrode is disposed on a second substrate of the at least one substrate.

14 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein a greatest outer dimension of the electrochemical sensor is less than about 1000 μm.

15 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein the at least one substrate is substantially circular.

16 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein at least one of the conductive material or the other conductive material has a perovskite crystal structure.

17 . The electrochemical sensor of claim 9 , wherein the conductive material is not covered by another material.

18 . A microelectrochemical sensor for use in a molten salt environment, the microelectrochemical sensor comprising:
a first electrode printed on a surface of a substrate, the first electrode comprising a conductive oxide material; and a second electrode printed on the surface of the substrate, the second electrode comprising another conductive oxide material.

19 . The microelectrochemical sensor of claim 18 , wherein the substrate is free of silicon.

20 . The microelectrochemical sensor of claim 18 , wherein:
the first electrode comprises a distal portion extending to an edge of the substrate; and the second electrode comprises another distal portion extending to the edge or another edge of the substrate.

Assignees

• Battelle Energy Alliance Llc

Inventors

• Shaltry Michael R
• Tripathy Prabhat K
• Estrada David

Classifications

• G01N33/205

  in liquid state, e.g. molten metals · CPC title

• G01N27/30 Primary

  Electrodes, e.g. test electrodes; Half-cells (G01N27/414 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N27/4166

  measuring a particular property of an electrolyte · CPC title

• G01N27/3272 Primary

  Test elements therefor, i.e. disposable laminated substrates with electrodes, reagent and channels (optical biosensors G01N33/52) · CPC title

• G01N27/403

  Cells and electrode assemblies · CPC title