Photocurable reagent for forming a chloride ion selective sensor and its preparation method and use

Abstract

Improved formulation(s), apparatus(s), and method(s) for making ion selective electrodes (ISEs) comprising at least one photocurable, epoxy-based, ion selective chloride membrane compound that can be premixed together to form a single dispensed mixture to form one or more ion exchange resin membranes for incorporation into and use in the chloride ISEs.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] not applicable.

[0003] STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0004] not applicable. Background of the Invention

[0006] The use of ion selective electrodes (ISEs) to determine the presence and amount of various analytes in biological samples has become a useful diagnostic technique. For example, ISEs have been used to detect analytes such as magnesium, fluoride, sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride ions (just as examples). Some of these ISEs are often housed in clinical diagnostic instruments to analyze a large number of analytes simultaneously.

[0007] An ISE typically includes at least one ion-selective membrane comprised of: (1) one or more glass membranes (e.g., one or more membranes comprising silicates or chalcogenides); (2) one or more crystalline membranes (e.g., one or more membranes comprising single crystals or polycrystals of a single substance, such as using lanthanum fluoride (LaF3) crystals to detect fluoride ions); and / or (3) one or more ion exchange resin membranes.

[0008] Ion exchange resin membranes are based on specific organic polymer membranes that contain at least one specific ion exchange substance (resin). The use of specific resins enables the preparation of selective electrodes that detect a wide range of monoatomic and polyatomic ions.

[0009] One such use of ISE is to measure the amount of chloride ions in a biological sample, particularly blood. The manufacture of ion exchange resin membranes generally known in the art involves mixing at least two components to form the resin membrane. In a non-limiting embodiment, the at least two components forming the ion exchange resin membrane may include at least one resin material, such as a resin paste, and at least one hardener material, such as a hardener paste. Since mixing at least one resin material and at least one hardener can produce a short curing time (i.e., less than about five (5) minutes), the use of separate materials that cannot be pre-mixed may not be ideal, and at least two separate dispensers are required to distribute and mix the materials on a substrate, which can increase the production cost of one or more resin membranes and ISEs.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need for improved formulation(s), apparatus(s), and method(s) for producing ISEs comprising at least one photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride membrane compound that can be premixed together to form a single dispensed mixture to form one or more ion exchange resin membranes for incorporation into and use in chloride ISEs. Such inventive concept(s) disclosed and / or claimed herein relate to such formulation(s), apparatus(s), and method(s). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 Non-limiting embodiments of reagents for generating photocurable epoxy-based ion-selective chloride membranes for use in chloride-selective sensors in accordance with one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein are shown.

[0012] Figure 2 Non-limiting embodiments of reaction mechanisms of epoxy groups with (a) primary amines, (b) tertiary amines, and (c) photoinitiation of BF1 with DMPA and subsequent free radical polymerization between BF1 and epoxy groups for forming chloride ion selective membranes according to one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein are shown.

[0013] Figure 3 is a graphical representation of (a) stability of chloride sensitivity and (b) salicylate bias exhibited by one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensors constructed in accordance with one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein.

[0014] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of the stability of chloride ion sensitivity of three (3) commercially available chloride ion sensors over 28 days.

[0015] Figure 5 is a graphical representation of the stability of chloride ion sensitivity over 28 days for five (5) photocurable ion-selective chloride ion sensors constructed in accordance with one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Before explaining at least one embodiment of one or more inventive concepts in detail through exemplary drawings, experiments, results and laboratory procedures, it is to be understood that one or more inventive concepts are not limited in their application to the details of the construction and component arrangement set forth in the following description or shown in the drawings, experiments and / or results. One or more inventive concepts can have other embodiments or be implemented or carried out in various ways. Therefore, the words used herein are intended to be given the widest possible scope and meaning; and the embodiments are intended to be exemplary rather than exhaustive. It is also to be understood that the words and terms used herein are intended to describe and should not be considered as limiting.

[0018] Unless otherwise specified herein, the scientific and technical terms used in connection with one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein should have the meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. In addition, unless the context otherwise requires, singular terms should include plural terms and plural terms should include singular terms. Enzymatic reactions and purification techniques are performed according to the manufacturer's instructions or as generally practiced in the art or as described herein. The above techniques and procedures are generally performed according to conventional methods described in various general and more specific references as well-known in the art and as cited and discussed throughout this specification. The terms used in connection with analytical chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and medicine and pharmaceutical chemistry as described herein, and laboratory procedures and techniques are those well-known and commonly used in the art.

[0019] All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications mentioned in the specification represent the technical level of technicians in the field of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein. All patents, published patent applications, and non-patent publications cited in any part of this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as if each patent or publication was explicitly indicated to be incorporated by reference one by one.

[0020] All compositions and / or methods disclosed and / or claimed herein can be made and implemented without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. Although compositions and methods of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein have been described with respect to preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made to the compositions and / or methods and to the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein without departing from the concept, spirit, and scope of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein. All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are considered to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of one or more inventive concepts as defined in the appended claims.

[0021] As used in accordance with this disclosure, unless otherwise indicated, the following terms shall be understood to have the following meanings:

[0022] When used in connection with the term "comprising" in the claims and / or the specification, the use of the words "a" or "an" may mean "one", but is also consistent with the meaning of "one or more", "at least one", and "one or more than one". Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural objects. Thus, for example, reference to "a compound" may refer to 1 or more, 2 or more, 3 or more, 4 or more, or a greater number of compounds. The term "plurality" refers to "two or more". The term "or" is used in the claims to mean "and / or", unless it is explicitly stated that only alternatives are referred to or that the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the present disclosure supports definitions that only refer to alternatives and "and / or". Throughout this application, the term "approximately" is used to indicate that a numerical value includes the error variation inherent in the device or method used to determine the numerical value, or the variation that exists between the subjects of study. For example, but not as a limitation, when the term "about" is used, the specified value may vary from the specified value by ±20%, or ±10%, or ±5%, or ±1%, or ±0.1%, as such variations are appropriate for practicing the disclosed methods and as understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The use of the term "at least one" is understood to include 1 and any amount greater than 1, including but not limited to 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100, etc. The term "at least one" can be extended to 100 or 1000 or more, depending on the term connected thereto; in addition, the amount of 100 / 1000 should not be considered as limiting, as higher limits may also produce satisfactory results. In addition, the use of the term "at least one of X, Y, and Z" is understood to include only X, only Y, and only Z, as well as any combination of X, Y, and Z. The use of ordinal terms (i.e., "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc.) is only to distinguish between two or more items, and is not intended to imply any order or sequence or that one item is more important than another item or, for example, any order of addition.

[0023] As used in this specification and claims, the terms "comprising" (and any form of "comprising", such as "comprise" and "comprises"), "having" (and any form of "having", such as "have" and "has"), "including" (and any form of "including", such as "includes" and "include"), or "containing" (and any form of "containing", such as "contains" and "contain") are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional unrecited elements or method steps.

[0024] As used herein, the term "or combinations thereof" refers to all permutations and combinations of the items listed before the term. For example, "A, B, C, or combinations thereof" is intended to include at least one of the following: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB if the order is important in a particular case. Continuing from this example, combinations containing repetitions of one or more items or terms are expressly included, such as BB, AAA, AAB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, etc. The skilled artisan will understand that there is generally no limit to the number of items or terms in any combination unless otherwise apparent from the context.

[0025] As used herein, the term "substantially" means that the subsequently described item or circumstance is completely present, or that the subsequently described item or circumstance is present to a large extent. For example, the term "substantially" means that the subsequently described item or circumstance is present at least 90% of the time, or at least 95% of the time, or at least 98% of the time.

[0026] As used herein, the phrase "associated with" includes direct association of two moieties with each other as well as indirect association of two moieties with each other. Non-limiting examples of association include covalent binding of one moiety to another moiety through a direct bond or through a spacer, non-covalent binding of one moiety to another moiety directly or via a specific binding pair member bound to a moiety, incorporation of one moiety into another moiety, such as by dissolving one moiety in the other moiety or by synthesis, and coating one moiety on another moiety.

[0027] The term "purification" as used herein refers to achieving at least one level of purification compared to the starting material or natural material, such as, but not limited to, two, three, four or five levels of purification of the starting material or natural material. Thus, the term "purification" as used herein does not necessarily mean that the material is 100% purified, and thus such a term does not exclude the presence of one or more other materials present in the purified composition.

[0028] The term "sample" as used herein is understood to include any type of biological sample that can be used according to one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein. Examples of useful biological samples include, but are not limited to, whole blood or any portion thereof (i.e., plasma or serum), saliva, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), skin, interstitial fluid, tears, mucus, urine, swabs, combinations, etc. In a non-limiting embodiment, the sample is a volume of whole blood.

[0029] As previously mentioned, current methods of manufacturing one or more ion exchange resin membranes for use in an ISE (e.g., an ISE for detecting chloride ions, by way of example only) require the use of two separate dispensers—one to dispense a predetermined amount (e.g., about 10 nanoliters) of resin paste onto the sensor substrate, and another to dispense a predetermined amount (e.g., about 10 nanoliters) of hardener paste. A disadvantage of this manufacturing method is that the two pastes (resin paste and hardener paste) cannot be pre-mixed for use by a single dispenser due to the rapid curing time (less than about five (5) minutes).

[0030] As presently described and / or claimed herein, it has now been discovered that there are formulations for producing improved photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membranes that require only one dispenser to make such membranes for chloride ISEs. Such new formulation(s) utilize at least one photocurable / photoinitiator compound that allows the formulation to be cured by light of a specific wavelength or spectra, such as ultraviolet light (i.e., wavelengths of about 100 nanometers to about 400 nanometers).

[0031] One or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein relate to such agents, as well as compositions / formulations, kits, and methods related thereto.

[0032] Turning now to embodiments of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein, new and improved reagents are provided that can be used with chloride ion sensors such that the chloride ion sensors exhibit increased stability and improved response kinetics over prior art sensor / reagent combinations. The reagents of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein can be used with potentiometric ISEs for ionizing chloride ions, wherein the sensor / reagent combination exhibits improved response kinetics and recovery stability, as well as reduced production costs associated with manufacturing such ISEs.

[0033] Epoxies have been identified as next generation chloride ion sensing materials with improved selectivity and increased sensor stability and functional lifetime. Typically, epoxy groups are crosslinked with polyamines and thiols to form a three-dimensional high-density polymer network in which amine and / or ammonium sites are embedded in the polymer backbone. In particular, epoxides react with tertiary diamines and form positively charged quaternary ammonium sites that are able to pair with chloride ions.

[0034] This reversible recognition is suitable for measuring chloride ions that generate a potentiometric signal in an ISE sensor. In addition, the cross-linked polymer network creates a structural barrier that restricts the diffusion of lipophilic species, such as when the sample is whole blood, salicylate, heparin, and / or one or more proteins. Therefore, the epoxy-based chloride ion sensor provides improved selectivity in complex real-world sample detection.

[0035] In one non-limiting embodiment of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein, a mixture for forming one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membranes for use in an improved chloride ISE comprises at least one epoxy resin, at least one polymerizing / curing agent, and at least one photocurable / photoinitiator compound. These ingredients can be premixed and dispensed onto an inert sensor substrate by the same dispenser and subsequently photocured using light of a specific wavelength and / or multiple wavelengths, such as, by way of example only, one or more wavelengths of light in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum.

[0036] In one non-limiting embodiment and as Figure 1 As shown, the improved one or more films may include a predetermined amount of at least one epoxy resin, such as at least one liquid epoxy resin, such as DER™ 331 and / or DER™ 332 (bisphenol A diglycidyl ether) sold by Dow Chemical Company, at least one polymerizing / curing agent, such as N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 - Tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine (BF1) and / or polypropylene imine tetraamine dendrimer (DAB), and at least one photocurable / photoinitiator compound, such as 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMPA), or consisting thereof. Figure 1 Non-limiting embodiments of reagents for forming improved photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membrane mixtures of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein are shown.

[0037] The at least one polymerizing agent (such as BF1 and / or DAB) provides a tertiary diamine that forms a positively charged quaternary ammonium site that can pair with chloride ions. One or more of the present inventive concepts have found that diamines (such as BF1 and DAB) in combination with DMPA replace conventional commercial epoxy hardeners (i.e., thiols) to produce highly selective chloride ion sensors with stable long-term service life that can be used for clinical analysis. Figure 2 A non-limiting embodiment of a reaction mechanism for forming one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membranes according to one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein is shown. Figure 2 Shown in the figure are the reaction mechanisms of the polymerization of epoxy groups with (a) primary amines (X = H), (b) tertiary amines (X = alkyl), while (c) shows the reaction mechanism of the photoinitiation of diamine BF1 by the photoinitiator DMPA and the subsequent free radical polymerization between BF1 and epoxy groups.

[0038] Another embodiment of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein relates to a method of making one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensors utilizing one or more chloride ion exchange membranes constructed according to the present invention. In the method, an inert substrate is contacted with a mixture comprising one or more reagents described or otherwise contemplated above, thereby forming a photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor comprising a polymer layer, an electrode layer, a conductor layer, and / or a transducer layer. In a specific embodiment, the inert sensor substrate is contacted with a mixture of at least one epoxy resin, at least one polymerizing / curing agent, and at least one photocurable compound. In a specific embodiment, the at least one epoxy resin comprises and / or consists of DER™ 331 and / or DER™ 332. The at least one polymerizing / curing agent comprises and / or consists of BF1 and / or DAB, and the at least one photocurable compound is DMPA. Example

[0039] Examples are provided below. However, one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein should be understood to be not limited to the specific experiments, results and laboratory procedures disclosed below in their application. On the contrary, the examples are provided only as various embodiments and are intended to be exemplary rather than exhaustive.

[0040] Example 1. Calculation of stoichiometric ratio using parts per hundred (PPH) by epoxy equivalent weight (EEW) to amine hydrogen equivalent weight (AHEW) of the curing agent

[0041] EEW, AHEW, and PPH are values ​​that aid in calculating one or more stoichiometric ratios required for one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein. The EEW of commercially available epoxy resins can be obtained from their product information - for example, the average EEW of DER™ 331 is 187 g / equivalent. The AHEW of the polymer / curing agent blend (BF1 and DAB) is calculated using the amine hydrogen number and molecular weight of each compound. The PPH is calculated using the EEW and the AHEW of the polymer / curing agent blend. Therefore, the calculation of AHEW and PPH can be calculated according to the following three (3) formulas:

[0042] .

[0043] Based on the polymer / curing agents (BF1 and DAB) detailed above, the AHEW of BF1, DAB, and the polymer / curing agent blend are 138 g / equivalent, 32 g / equivalent, and 117 g / equivalent, respectively. Assuming the EEW of DER™ 331 is 187 g / equivalent, the PPH is calculated to be 62. Therefore, 62 parts of the curing agent blend are required for every 100 parts of DER™ 331 to achieve one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein, including but not limited to producing one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membranes.

[0044] Example 2. Preparation of a photocurable epoxy resin-based ion-selective chloride sensor membrane mixture

[0045] In this non-limiting embodiment, 1,250 mg of DER™ 331, 851 microliters of BF1, 41.7 mg of DAB, and 60.5 mg of DMPA were mixed in a 3 ml plastic amber tube. After mixing the mixture for 20 ± 2 minutes using a mixer sold by SPEX® SamplePrep to make the mixture substantially homogeneous, the mixture was stored in a -70°C freezer and subsequently dispensed onto an inert electrode substrate. A stoichiometric ratio of the polymer / curing agent blend of 8:2 (BF1:DAB) was used to prepare the final mixture.

[0046] Example 3. Preparation of photocurable epoxy resin-based ion-selective chloride ion sensor

[0047] 0.5 microliters of the chloride sensor membrane mixture prepared in Example 2 above was dispensed on an inert substrate including a polymer layer (comprising the mixture from Example 2), an electrode layer, a conductor layer, and / or a transducer layer. After being dispensed on the substrate (from a single dispenser), the membrane mixture was irradiated with UV light for approximately 10 minutes, thereby forming a photocured, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor. The sensor was then placed in an oven at 100°C for approximately 10 minutes. Before starting performance testing, the sensor was cured in an oven at approximately 40°C for 72 hours.

[0048] Example 4. Performance of a photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor

[0049] In this specific non-limiting example, a total of four (4) photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensors were bench tested using a potentiostat (in this specific case a potentiostat purchased from Lawson Labs, Inc.). Figure 3As shown, the stability of chloride sensitivity and salicylate bias of each sensor was measured over a fifteen (15) day period. During the fifteen (15) day period, when the sensors were not being tested, the sensors were stored in a phosphate buffered solution containing 10 mM sodium chloride, 0.4 mM potassium chloride, 4.0 mM sodium bicarbonate, 0.01% bovine serum albumin, and other preservatives known in the art. To be clinically useful, each sensor preferably produced a chloride sensitivity slope of about -40 to about -60 mV / decade. From Figure 3 It can be seen that each of the tested sensors is within the clinically applicable chloride ion sensitivity range. Figure 3 As shown, for the four (4) sensors tested, the salicylate bias caused by 5 mg / dL salicylate was less than about 0.25% over the course of fifteen (15) days (indicating that the current sensor membrane effectively mitigates / eliminates entry of undesirable compounds such as salicylate into the sensor).

[0050] Example 5. Comparison of Chloride Sensitivity and Salicylate Bias of Commercially Available Chloride Sensors and Photocurable Ion-Selective Chloride Sensors of One or More Inventive Concepts Disclosed and / or Claimed herein

[0051] Figure 4 The stability of chloride ion sensitivity of three (3) commercially available chloride ion sensors over a period of 28 days is shown. Figure 5 The stability of chloride sensitivity over the same 28-day period for five (5) photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensors constructed in accordance with one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein is shown. Over the 28-day period, each sensor (commercially available sensors and improved photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensors of one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein) was stored in a phosphate buffer solution containing 10 mM sodium chloride, 0.4 mM potassium chloride, 4.0 mM sodium bicarbonate, 0.01% bovine serum albumin, and other preservatives known in the art. To be clinically applicable, each sensor preferably produces a chloride sensitivity slope of about -40 to about -60 mV / decade.

[0052] from Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can be seen that the photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensors constructed according to one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein all fall within this range over a period of 28 days, and these sensors are at least comparable to Figure 4The salicylate deviation of the commercial chloride ion sensor and the photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor constructed according to one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein is shown in Table 1 below. As shown in Table 1, the salicylate deviation of the commercial chloride ion sensor and one or more photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensors of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein is less than about 5.6±0.2% and 3.3±2.0, respectively. This shows that the salicylate deviation of the photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein is as effective as, if not more effective than, the commercial chloride ion sensor in mitigating the transfer of salicylate through the membrane to the sensor.

[0053] n Day 5 (%) Day 14 (%) Day 28 (%) Commercially available sensors 3 1.3 ± 0.0 0.1 ± 0.0 5.6 ± 0.2 Photocurable ion-selective chloride sensor 5 0.8 ± 0.1 0.5 ± 0.2 3.3 ± 2.0

[0054] Table 1: Salicylate bias exhibited by commercial chloride sensors and photocurable ion-selective chloride sensors over 28 days.

[0055] Non-limiting examples of one or more inventive concepts

[0056] The following is a numbered list of non-limiting illustrative embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein:

[0057] A photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membrane mixture comprising: at least one epoxy resin; at least one curing agent; and at least one photocurable compound.

[0058] The mixture, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin.

[0059] The mixture, wherein at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from DER™ 331, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and combinations thereof.

[0060] The mixture, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 -Tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof.

[0061] The mixture, wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

[0062] A photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor comprising: a polymer layer; an electrode layer; a conductor layer; and a transducer layer, wherein the polymer layer comprises a photocurable mixture comprising at least one epoxy resin, at least one curing agent, and at least one photocurable compound.

[0063] The sensor, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin.

[0064] The sensor, wherein at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from DER™ 331, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and combinations thereof.

[0065] The sensor, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 -Tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof.

[0066] The sensor, wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

[0067] The sensor wherein the mixture is photocured via at least one wavelength of light within the ultraviolet spectrum.

[0068] A method for making a photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor, the method comprising the steps of: mixing effective amounts of at least one epoxy resin, at least one curing agent, and at least one photocurable compound to form a photocurable polymer mixture, wherein the photocurable polymer mixture is contained in a single dispenser; dispensing an effective amount of the photocurable polymer mixture onto a surface of an inert ion-selective electrode substrate, the inert ion-selective electrode substrate comprising an electrode layer, a conductor layer, and a transducer layer, wherein the photocurable polymer mixture is dispensed on the electrode layer of the inert selective electrode substrate; and irradiating the photocurable polymer mixture with light of at least one wavelength, thereby forming the photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor.

[0069] The method, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin.

[0070] The method, wherein the at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from DER™ 331, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and combinations thereof.

[0071] The method, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6-Tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof.

[0072] The method, wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

[0073] The method wherein the at least one wavelength of light is in the ultraviolet spectrum.

[0074] Therefore, according to one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein, reagents that fully meet the above-mentioned objects and advantages, as well as kits containing the same and methods of use thereof, have been provided. Although one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein have been described in connection with the above-mentioned specific drawings, experiments, results and wordings, many substitutions, modifications and variations are obviously obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations within the spirit and broad scope of one or more inventive concepts disclosed and / or claimed herein.

Claims

1. A photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor membrane mixture comprising: at least one epoxy resin; at least one curing agent; and at least one photocurable compound, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 -tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof, Wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

2. The mixture according to claim 1, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin.

3. The mixture according to claim 2, wherein the at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from DER TM 331. Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and combinations thereof.

4. A photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride sensor comprising: polymer layer; Electrode layer; Conductor layer; and Transducer layer, wherein the polymer layer comprises a photocurable mixture comprising at least one epoxy resin, at least one curing agent, and at least one photocurable compound, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 -tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof, Wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

5. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin. 6 . The sensor according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from the group consisting of DER™ 331, bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, and combinations thereof.

7. The sensor of claim 4, wherein the mixture is photocured via at least one wavelength of light within the ultraviolet spectrum.

8. A method of making a photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor, the method comprising the steps of: mixing effective amounts of at least one epoxy resin, at least one curing agent, and at least one photocurable compound to form a photocurable polymer mixture, wherein the photocurable polymer mixture is contained in a single dispenser; dispensing an effective amount of the photocurable polymer mixture onto a surface of an inert ion selective electrode substrate, the inert ion selective electrode substrate comprising an electrode layer, a conductor layer, and a transducer layer, wherein the photocurable polymer mixture is dispensed onto the electrode layer of the inert selective electrode substrate; and irradiating the photocurable polymer mixture with light of at least one wavelength, thereby forming a photocurable, epoxy-based, ion-selective chloride ion sensor, wherein the at least one curing agent is selected from N 1 ,N 1 ,N 6 ,N 6 -tetraallylhexane-1,6-diamine, polypropyleneimine tetraamine dendrimers and combinations thereof, Wherein the at least one photocurable compound is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one epoxy resin is at least one liquid epoxy resin.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one liquid epoxy resin is selected from DER TM 331. Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one wavelength of light is in the ultraviolet spectrum.

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