Imec and Holst Centre have demonstrated a prototype of a single-chip electrochemical sensor for simultaneous detection of multiple ions in fluids. The demonstrator paves the way to small-sized, low-cost detection systems for agriculture, healthcare and lifestyle applications, food quality monitoring and water management.
The ion sensor solution is a generic platform that can be tailored towards specific applications. It is said to enable efficient and low-cost monitoring, for example: monitoring of nutrient concentrations in surface and waste water, both for agricultural applications and water quality. In the healthcare and lifestyle applications, it provides disposable point-of-care solutions, or conformable solutions for integration into patches.
Depending on the application and the form factor, the device can be mass produced through microfabrication or through screen-printing on inexpensive substrates such as glass or foil.This brings advantages in terms of low cost manufacturability, and size.
The presented prototype is a handheld device that integrates a single-chip sensor with different electrodes that detect pH levels in a range from 2 to 10 at 0.1pH accuracy. For the chemical elements chloride, sodium, potassium, and nitrate the sensor is claimed to detect at 10% accuracy. Benchmarked against other available single-ion sensors, imec’s prototype is said to have demonstrated comparable sensitivity and accuracy for a multiple-ion solution.
“Imec aims to develop the building blocks that enable an Intuitive Internet of Things,” stated Kathleen Phillips, programme director of perceptive systems at imec. “As we continue to improve our sensor platform, develop sensors for other ions, integrate more sensors into a single system, and extend the lifetime of our sensor, imec will be at the nucleus in driving the advancements of smart connected systems.”
Author
Tom Austin-Morgan
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk