Element Six Technologies Limited

Julie Victoria Macpherson

Timothy Peter Mollart

Mark Edward Newton

Laura Anne Hutton

Geoffrey Alan Scarsbrook

Patrick Robert Unwin

Roy Edward Patrick Meyler

Maxim Bruckshaw Joseph

Zoe Ayers

An electrochemical sensor comprising: a boron doped diamond electrode formed of boron doped diamond material; an array of non-diamond carbon sites disposed on a sensing surface of the boron doped diamond electrode; electrochemically active surface groups bonded to the non-diamond carbon sites for generating a redox peak associated with a target species which reacts with the electrochemically active surface groups bonded to the non-diamond carbon sites when a solution containing the target species is disposed in contact with the sensing surface in use; an electrical controller configured to scan the boron doped diamond electrode over a potential range to generate said redox peak; and a processor configured to give an electrochemical reading based on one or both of a position and an intensity of said redox peak.

Boron doped diamond based electrochemical sensor heads

A method of analyzing chemical species in a solution, the method comprising: providing an electrochemical deposition apparatus comprising a first electrode () formed of an electrically conductive diamond material and a second electrode (); locating the first electrode in contact with a solution () to be analyzed and the second electrode in electrical contact with the solution to be analyzed; applying a potential difference between the first and second electrodes () such that current flows between the first and second electrodes through the solution to be analyzed and chemical species are electro-deposited from the solution onto the first electrode; applying a spectroscopic analysis technique to the electro-deposited chemical species (M1, M2, M3) on the first electrode to generate spectroscopic data about the electro-deposited chemical species on the first electrode; and using the spectroscopic data to determine the type of chemical species electro-deposited on the first electrode. The spectroscopic analysis technique, which can be based on X-rays, fluorescent X-rays or gamma rays, is used in combination with stripping voltammetric measurement performed on the first electrode. The spectroscopic data can also be used in-situ calibration data for calibrating the reference potential used voltammetric measurements.

Electrochemical deposition and spectroscopic analysis methods and apparatus using diamond electrodes

An electrochemical sensor comprising: a reference electrode () formed of an electrically conductive synthetic doped diamond material and configured to be located in electrical contact with a solution () to be analysed; a sensing electrode () formed of an electrically conductive synthetic doped diamond material and configured to be located in contact with the solution () to be analysed; an electrical controller () configured to conduct stripping voltammetric measurements by applying a voltage to the sensing electrode (), to change the applied voltage relative to the reference electrode (), and to measure an electric current flowing through the sensing electrode () thereby generating voltammetry data; and a calibration system configured to provide an in-situ calibration for providing a reference point in the voltammetric data since the potential of the diamond reference electrode is non fixed and floating. Consequently, assigning of peaks (M, M, M) in the voltammetry data to chemical species (M, M, M) is possible, thereby allowing the type and concentration of chemical species in the solution () to be determined. The in-situ calibration consists of: 1-using a spectrometer for X-rays, Gamma rays or fluorescence measurements integrated in the sensor, 2-using a known redox couple added to the solution that will provide a reference peak in the voltammetric data, or 3-producing in-situ ionic species at the vicinity of the reference electrode.

Electrochemical sensor with diamond electrodes

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Warwickshire, United Kingdom

Julie Victoria Macpherson