Method and apparatus for electrochemical screening of chemicals in the environment and biological samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022412947-A1
Application number	US-202017757780-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	Dec 29, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A sensor apparatus for detecting a heavy metal in a sample.

First claim

1 . A sensor apparatus for detecting a heavy metal in a sample, the sensor apparatus comprising:
a reaction vessel comprising:
a pre-treatment chamber configured to digest the sample to generate ions corresponding to the heavy metal,
a filter, and
a testing chamber comprising an electrochemical sensor configured to detect the generated ions, wherein the filter allows the generated ions to pass into the testing chamber while blocking other components of the sample.

2 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the filter comprises a cellulose sponge.

3 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical sensor comprises a working electrode coated with a graphene oxide film.

4 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heavy metal exemplified is lead but may be any of the heavy metals identified in the Detailed Description and the generated ions exemplified comprise lead ions but would be the ions of the heavy metal of interest.

5 . The sensor apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the pre-treatment chamber is configured to generate heavy metal ions (lead ions in this example) in the presence of a reagent for digestion and reaction conditions (nitric acid in this example).

6 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises an environmental sample.

7 . The sensor apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the environmental sample comprises a sediment sample.

8 . The sensor apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the environmental sample comprises a water sample.

9 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises an organic sample.

10 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises an inorganic sample.

11 . The sensor apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises a biological sample.

12 . The sensor apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the biological sample comprises a blood sample.

13 . The sensor apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the biological sample comprises a body fluid sample.

14 . The sensor apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the biological sample comprises a tissue sample.

Assignees

• Univ Rutgers

Inventors

• Javanmard Mehdi
• Miskewitz Robert
• Maher Ali
• Lacy Clifton
• Gholizadeh Azam

Classifications

• G01N33/20

  Metals · CPC title

• G01N27/42

  Measuring deposition or liberation of materials from an electrolyte; Coulometry, i.e. measuring coulomb-equivalent of material in an electrolyte · CPC title

• G01N2001/4038

  electric methods, e.g. electromigration, electrophoresis, ionisation · CPC title

• G01N1/4044 Primary

  by chemical techniques; Digestion; Chemical decomposition · CPC title

• G01N2001/4088

  filtration · CPC title