Roche Diagnostics Operations, Inc.

Oxford Biosensors Limited

Roche Diabetes Care, Inc.

Roche Diagnostics Gmbh

F. Hoffmann-la Roche Ag

Mark Hyland

Kevin Lorimer

John Griffiths

Christopher Paul Newman

Yann Astier

Emma Naomi Kathlene Wallace-Davis

John Morton Broughall

Herbert Frank Askew

Ronald Neil Butler

Lindy Murphy

Alan Maxwell Bond

Patricia Mary Elizabeth Roblin

Emma Naomi Wallace-Davis

Alain Maxwell Bond

A method for improving the precision of electrochemical measurements made using an electrochemical cell is provided. The method comprises preconditioning a working electrode of the cell by (i) baking the working electrode; and/or (ii) incubating the working electrode; and/or (iii) applying a preconditioning potential across the cell; and/or (iv) treating the working electrode with a UV laser.

Electrode preconditioning

An electrochemical sensing method that includes (a) providing an electrochemical cell having a working electrode and a pseudo reference electrode; (b) providing a sample comprising a metal, the sample being in contact with the working electrode and the metal being capable of being oxidized or reduced at the working electrode when the metal is bound to the working electrode; (c) preconditioning the working electrode by (i) applying a time varying preconditioning potential between the working and pseudo reference electrodes; and/or (ii) baking the working electrode; and/or (iii) air-ageing the working electrode; and (d) applying a measuring potential between the working and pseudo reference electrodes and, during application of said measuring potential, measuring the current generated by oxidation/reduction of the metal at the working electrode.

A scaling factor for scaling an output of a first electrochemical cell, is determined in order to compensate for the effect on the output caused by an variation in value of a property of a working electrode of the first cell from a reference value of that property. A measured value for the property is obtained from a portion of material formed so as to have substantially the same value of the property as does the working electrode and the measured value is processed to generate the scaling factor.

Scaling factor for an output of an electrochemical cell

The invention concerns an electrochemical cell which, either alone or together which a substrate onto which it is placed, is in the form of a receptacle. The electrochemical cell contains a working electrode and a counter electrode, the working electrode being in a wall of the receptacle. At least one of the electrodes has at least one dimension of less than 50 &#x3bc;m. The electrochemical cell is principally intended for use as a micro-electrode suitable for screening water, blood, urine or other biological or non-biological fluids.

Micro-band electrode

In an electrochemical sensor, the potential difference applied to the electrochemical cell is raised to a measuring value at a rate determined to reduce the transient current. The maximum rate of change of the voltage is set to prevent saturation of an IE converter. The electrochemical cell may contain micro-electrodes as working and reference electrodes. The method may be applied to a battery powered, handheld device.

Electrochemical sensor

In an electrochemical sensor, a peak is detected by grouping data points in windows and detecting two or three windows between which the slope of the data changes sign. The peak can be more precisely detected by detecting the highest data point in the two or three windows.

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Yarnton, United Kingdom

Mark Hyland