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Publication Number
US-11333648-B1
Publication Date
2022-05-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
Ultrasensitive, decoupled thermodynamic sensing platforms for the detection of chemical compounds in the vapor phase at trace levels are disclosed, wherein the sensors have a heating resistor decoupled from a sensing resistor. Embodiments of the decoupled sensor comprise a metallic microheater resistor on one side of substrate, and a sensor resistor coupled to a catalyst on the other side of the substrate. A sensor array may be provided including a plurality of sensors each having a different catalyst that, when exposed to an analyte, each experience an endothermic reaction, an exothermic reaction, or no reaction. A comparison of the reaction results to data comprising previously obtained reaction results may be used to determine the presence and the identity of the analyte. Advantageously, the decoupled sensors utilize less power and provide greater sensitivity than other known systems, and may be used to detect and identify a single molecule of an analyte.
Core Innovation
The invention is a detection device having a sensor with a first layer comprising a metallic microheater, a second layer in contact with the first layer and comprising a substrate, a third layer in contact with the second layer and comprising a thin-film sensor, and a fourth layer in contact with the third layer and comprising a catalyst. The thin-film sensor is configured to detect a heat effect resulting from a chemical reaction, with the layered structure enabling heat-effect-based sensing using the catalyst-associated chemical reaction at the sensor stack.
In a further aspect, the invention provides a detection device including a first sensor and a second sensor, each comprising a microheater, a thin-film sensor, and a catalyst in thermal communication with the thin-film sensor, with the microheater separated from the thin-film sensor by a substrate. A controller communicates with the first and second sensors, causes a first amount of power to heat the thin-film sensors to respective setpoint temperatures, and in response to an endothermic reaction at either sensor applies a second amount of power to maintain the setpoint temperatures.
A sensor-array operation is used to detect an analyte by delivering power to heat first and second thin-film sensors to first and second setpoint temperatures, exposing the sensor array to the analyte to permit a reaction between the analyte and the sensor array, and delivering additional power to maintain the setpoint temperatures. The invention determines a measurement of the difference between the first amount of power and the second amount of power, and determines an existence, identity, and/or concentration of the analyte based on the measurement, including operation with a database of known thermal responses and/or comparison to a reference sensor power.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims include three key parts: a layered detection device where a thin-film sensor detects a heat effect from a chemical reaction, a two-sensor detection device using controller-driven power setpoints and power-difference measurement to determine analyte existence, identity, and concentration, and a method for analyte detection using a sensor array with power maintained at setpoints after analyte exposure and determining analyte existence, identity, and concentration from a power difference measurement. Across these independent claims, three inventive features are emphasized: the layered microheater-substrate-thin-film sensor-catalyst structure, the controller-driven setpoint heating and maintenance during endothermic response, and the determination of analyte existence, identity, and concentration based on the difference in applied power.
Layered detection device for heat-effect sensing
A detection device having a sensor stack with a first layer comprising a metallic microheater, a second layer in contact with the first layer comprising a substrate, a third layer in contact with the second layer comprising a thin-film sensor, and a fourth layer in contact with the third layer comprising a catalyst, wherein the thin-film sensor is configured to detect a heat effect resulting from a chemical reaction.
Two-sensor controller-driven setpoint maintenance and power-difference determination
A detection device including a first sensor and a second sensor, each comprising a microheater and a thin-film sensor in thermal communication with a catalyst and separated by a substrate, and a controller in communication with the first and second sensors configured to heat the first and second thin-film sensors to respective first and second setpoint temperatures, maintain the setpoint temperatures by applying a second amount of power in response to an endothermic reaction at the first or second sensor, determine a measurement of the difference between the first amount of power and the second amount of power, and determine an existence, identity, and/or concentration of the analyte based on the measurement.
Method using sensor-array setpoint heating, analyte exposure, and power-difference analyte determination
A method of detecting an analyte including providing a sensor array comprising a first sensor and a second sensor with respective microheater layer, substrate layer, thin-film sensor, and catalyst layer, delivering a first amount of power to heat the first thin-film sensor to a first setpoint temperature and to heat the second thin-film sensor to a second setpoint temperature, exposing the sensor array to an analyte to permit a reaction between the analyte and the sensor array, delivering a second amount of power to maintain the first setpoint temperature and the second setpoint temperature in response to the reaction, determining a measurement of the difference between the first amount of power and the second amount of power, and determining an existence, identity, and/or concentration of the analyte based on the measurement.
Collectively, the independent claims cover layered catalyst-based heat-effect sensing and an analyte-detection approach that heats thin-film sensors to setpoint temperatures, maintains those setpoints during an endothermic reaction via controller-applied power, and determines analyte existence, identity, or concentration based on the measured difference between initial and maintained power amounts.
Stated Advantages
Provides sensor operation configured to detect a heat effect resulting from a chemical reaction via a thin-film sensor coupled to a catalyst.
Enables determination of analyte existence, identity, and/or concentration based on a measurement of the difference between applied power amounts.
Documented Applications
Detection of vapor-phase analytes including explosives (e.g., TATP, RDX, HMX) as described in the partial content summary.
Wearables/breathalyzer and healthcare biomarker sensing as described in the partial content summary.
Biomarker sensing in breath, skin, sweat, and associated examples (diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), Alzheimer’s, cancer, glucose, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD)) as described in the partial content summary.
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