International Business Machines Corporation

Patrick Ruch

Bruno Michel

Neil Ebejer

Stephan Paredes

Emanuel Loertscher

Javier V Goicochea

Thomas J Brunschwiler

Jens Oliver Ammann

Sarmenio Saliba

Stefano Sergio Oggioni

Willi Volksen

Ute Drechsler

Geraud J Dubois

Chin Lee Ong

Ingmar G Meijer

Werner Escher

Mauro Spreafico

Giorgio Viero

Aaron Roger Cox

Eiji Nakamura

Keiji Matsumoto

Jean Fompeyrine

Hiroyuki Mori

Stefan Abel

Jonas R Weiss

Yuksel Temiz

Antonio La Porta

Gero Dittmann

Takahito Watanabe

Erich M Ruetsche

Valeria Bragaglia

Brian Burg

Gianmarco Gabrieli

Rui Hu

Luca Capua

The present invention is directed to a method of fabricating a flow cell device. The device comprises: an exchange membrane, extending essentially in a plane; an adhesive, at a periphery of the membrane; and two half-cells, each on a respective side of said plane, the half-cells sandwiching the membrane. The membrane spans a smaller area than each of the areas of the half-cells, whereby a peripheral space is defined at the periphery of the membrane between two opposing faces of the half-cells. This space is at least partly filled with an adhesive, so as to secure the two half-cells to each other with the membrane encapsulated therein.

Self-maintained flow cell device

One or more computer processors obtain one or more time-dependent signals with one or more sensor pairs in a sensing system, respectively, wherein each of the one or more time-dependent signals are obtained as a differential signal of a respective pair of the one or more sensor pairs by successively sensing a reference liquid and each liquid in a set of liquids to be characterized with the respective pair; extracting one or more sets of features from one or more portions of the one or more time-dependent signals, respectively, each of the one or more portions including a signal portion obtained while sensing each liquid in the set of liquids with said respective pair; and characterize each liquid in the set of liquids based on the one or more extracted sets of features.

Characterizing liquids based on features extracted from time-dependent, differential signal measurements

A sensor device, such as a biosensor, may comprise a polymer substrate, which is structured so as to form sets of microneedles and respective vias. The microneedles extend, each, from a base surface of the substrate. Each of the vias extends through a thickness of the substrate, thereby forming a corresponding set of apertures on the base surface. Each of the apertures is adjacent to a respective one of the microneedles. The device further may comprise two or more electrodes, these including a sensing electrode and a reference electrode. Each electrode may comprise an electrically conductive material layer that coats a region of the substrate, so as to coat at least some of the microneedles and neighboring portions of said base surface. Related devices, apparatuses, and methods of fabrication and use of such devices may be provided.

Electrically functional polymer microneedle array

Embodiments are disclosed for a quality control method. The method includes verifying one or more sensors as part of a verification process and assessing a quality of an item or a technical process as part of a quality control process. Two or more measurements values characterizing the item or the technical process from the one or more sensors are obtained. One or more output values based on a computerized process taking the two or more measurements values as inputs are obtained. At least one of the output values obtained is compared to one or more corresponding reference values, to obtain a quality assessment of the item or the technical process.

Quality control based on measurements from verified sensors

According to certain embodiments, an adsorption heat exchanger (AdHEX) part is provided. The AdHEX part comprises a linear guiding element, and a plurality of planar structures that include fins. Each of the planar structures is: mounted on the linear guiding element via a joint element, the joint element configured to cooperate with the linear guiding element to form a slider joint, coated with an adsorbent coating, and fixed on the linear guiding element, at a respective position, by a fixing means that restricts linear sliding movement of each of the planar structures to form an arrangement of coated planar structures that are stacked along the linear guiding element.

Compact adsorption heat exchangers

Embodiments are disclosed for a method for restoring a wearable biological sensor. The method includes determining that a wearable biological marker sensor comprising a reference electrode is placed within a restoration apparatus. The restoration apparatus includes a correct reference electrode, a counter electrode, and a chloride solution. The reference electrode is in electrical contact with the correct reference electrode and the counter electrode through the chloride solution. The method additionally includes determining whether the reference electrode is degraded based on a voltage differential between the reference electrode and the correct reference electrode. The method also includes restoring the reference electrode, if the reference electrode is degraded, by applying a voltage to a circuit. The circuit includes the reference electrode and the counter electrode. Further, multiple chloride ions of the chloride solution bond with a plurality of silver atoms of the reference electrode.

Restoring a wearable biological sensor

A porous substrate susceptible to one or both of hydroxylation and alkoxylation by a first protic solvent is exposed to a first relative pressure of the first protic solvent. The porous substrate includes a first plurality of pores having a first average pore diameter and a second plurality of pores having a second average pore diameter that is greater than the first average pore diameter. The first relative pressure is effective to one or both of hydroxylate or alkoxylate substantially only pores of the first average pore diameter to form a first modified porous substrate. The first modified porous substrate is reacted with a first functionalizing reagent that is effective to functionalize one or both of hydroxylated or alkoxylated surfaces, thereby functionalizing substantially only the first plurality of the pores, to form a first functionalized porous substrate.

Selectively functionalized porous material

A sensor comprises a microfabricated chip having a surface with one or more cavities formed thereon, the cavities including sensing components, one or more lids, each covering said surface so as to close at least one of said cavities, the lids contacting rims that delimit said cavities on said surface. Electric circuit portions join, each, a respective one of the lids, to allow the lids to be partly dissolved, electrochemically, responsive to being exposed to an electrochemical solution. In addition, masking material portions cover peripheral regions of the lids at the level of the rims, so as to seal the lids and shield such peripheral regions from said electrochemical solution, in operation. Related apparatuses and sensing methods may be provided.

Biosensors with programmable sensing cavities

An electrochemical device includes an electrochemical cell and an electric circuit. The electrochemical cell comprises a first solid component and a second solid component. The two solid components comprise same chemical elements but have different concentrations of at least one type of the chemical elements. A solid electrolyte is arranged between the two solid components. The solid electrolyte is a dielectric material. The electric circuit is connected to the electrochemical cell. The electrochemical cell may be operated according to a redox process, so as to exchange chemical elements of the at least one type between the first solid component and the second solid component and thereby change an electrical conductance of each of the two solid components.

Electrochemical device of variable electrical conductance

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a pH control device. The device comprises a substrate, on which is defined a flow path adapted to receive a liquid. The device further comprises a set of electrodes, which includes a pH sensing electrode and pH generation electrodes. The electrodes are arranged along the flow path. The pH sensing electrode is arranged so as to be subjected to a change in pH of a portion of the liquid on the flow path, as caused by the pH generation electrodes. In addition, the device includes a controller, which is configured to apply a voltage across the pH generation electrodes, based on a signal obtained via the pH sensing electrode and a reference electrode. This enables local control a pH of the liquid portion. The device may further be embodied as a sensor, additionally comprising a detection electrode.

PH control for analyte detection

Ph control for analyte detection

A portable sensor includes a probe and a housing. The probe comprises a sensing part with one or more sensing elements, while the housing is designed to secure the probe such that the sensing part extends outside the housing. The portable sensor defines a gap between the probe and a surface of the housing that is configured to receive a rim of a liquid container such that the portable sensor can slot onto a rim of a liquid container, so as to allow hand-free measurements.

Self-supported portable sensor for liquids

One or more embodiments of the present invention are directed to a photovoltaic system. The system comprises photovoltaic cells, arranged side-by-side to form an array of photovoltaic cells. It further involves a cooling device, which comprises one or more layers, wherein the layers extend opposite to the array of photovoltaic cells and in thermal communication therewith, for cooling the cells, in operation. The one or more layers are structured such that a thermal resistance of the photovoltaic system varies across the array of photovoltaic cells, so as to remove heat from photovoltaic cells of the array with different heat removal rates, in operation. One or more embodiments of the present invention are further directed to related systems and methods for cooling such photovoltaic systems.

Photovoltaic system with non-uniformly cooled photovoltaic cells

A sensor apparatus comprising a portable sensor body. The sensor body includes a support with one or more sensing electrodes, and electric connections connecting to the electrodes. The apparatus further includes a storage container, designed to receive at least a part of the support that includes one or more of the electrodes, for storing the sensor body. The container comprises a deformable wiper. The wiper is shaped correspondingly with the support and electrodes thereof, to wipe liquid (and/or other materials contained therein) off the support responsive to inserting the latter in the container and, conversely, responsive to de-inserting the support from the container. Mutually corresponding parts of the sensor body and the container may form a fastener, so as to be able to create a non-permanent joint between the sensor body and the container responsive to the sensor body being fully inserted in the container.

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Jenins, Switzerland

Patrick Ruch