A film coating device for microelectrodes and a film coating method thereof

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of microelectrode film coating device and its film coating method, including base, lifting mechanism, electrode loading disc, environmental atmosphere cover, rotary motor, carousel, controller and touch screen, lifting mechanism includes shell, lifting motor, linear guide, slider and longitudinal connecting rod, one end of longitudinal connecting rod is connected with slider;The other end of longitudinal connecting rod is connected with electrode loading disc;Environmental atmosphere cover is covered in the bottom end of base, and environmental atmosphere cover is located in the front side of lifting mechanism;Rotary motor is installed in base, carousel is arranged in environmental atmosphere cover, and the top of environmental atmosphere cover is evenly distributed with several electrode jacks along the same circumference, two air holes are formed on the outer wall surface of environmental atmosphere cover, one air hole is inserted with inert gas pipeline, and the other air hole is inserted with solvent atmosphere pipeline.The microelectrode film coating device and its film coating method of the application can batch coating, improve the consistency of coating, reduce solution volatilization and reduce production cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a coating device and a coating method for a microelectrode. Background Technology

[0002] In continuous glucose monitoring systems, glucose sensors are crucial. The outer membrane of the electrode system largely determines the sensor's performance and detection accuracy. Unlike spin coating, which forms a thin film on the surface of a pre-coated part, dip coating involves immersing the pre-coated part in a prepared solution. The part is then raised at a precisely controlled, uniform speed. Under the influence of viscosity and gravity, the coating solution adheres to the surface of the part, forming a coating film. As the solvent rapidly evaporates in the gas phase, the solution adhering to the surface of the pre-coated part quickly gels, forming a gel film. The dip-coating method is a commonly used thin film preparation method. This method can coat uniform thin films onto fabric substrates and base films, and is widely used in the dip-coating of sol-gels, solutions, and suspensions.

[0003] However, this dip coating method has had some problems in past practical applications. In the process of batch coating, it was found that the quality of the coating produced was not high. For example, the thickness of each part to be coated varied greatly, and the consistency of the coating was difficult to guarantee. This is because the thickness of the coating film formed by the dip coating method is basically determined by many factors such as the viscosity of the coating liquid, the volatility of the solvent in the coating liquid, and the rate at which the coated part is raised.

[0004] Meanwhile, existing positioning slots for microelectrodes are mostly arranged side-by-side, which significantly reduces the efficiency of mass production. Furthermore, the containers holding the membrane solution are exposed to the air without protective covers, which not only greatly increases evaporation but also indirectly increases production costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a coating device and method for microelectrodes, which can achieve batch coating, reduce solution evaporation, improve coating consistency, and reduce production costs.

[0006] The technical solution to achieve the above objective is: a coating device for microelectrodes, comprising a base, a lifting mechanism, an electrode loading tray, an ambient atmosphere cover, a rotary motor, a turntable, a controller, and a touch screen, wherein: The lifting mechanism includes a housing, a lifting motor, a linear guide rail, a slider, and a longitudinal connecting rod. The housing is located at the top of the base, the lifting motor is located inside the housing, the linear guide rail is vertically located inside the housing, and a slider sliding groove is vertically formed on the front side of the housing. The slider is slidably mounted on the linear guide rail and is located within the slider sliding groove. The slider is driven by the lifting motor. One end of the longitudinal connecting rod is connected to the slider. The other end of the longitudinal connecting rod is connected to the electrode loading disk; The outer circumference of the electrode loading disk is evenly distributed with several electrode positioning grooves. The ambient atmosphere cover is located at the bottom of the base and is situated in front of the lifting mechanism. The rotary motor is installed inside the base, the turntable is set inside the ambient atmosphere cover, the output shaft of the rotary motor is connected to the turntable, and a plurality of membrane solution tank mounting positions are evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper end surface of the turntable, and a membrane solution tank is provided at at least one membrane solution tank mounting position. The top of the ambient atmosphere cover has a number of electrode insertion holes evenly distributed along the same circumference. The number of electrode insertion holes are located directly above the installation positions of the number of membrane solution tanks, and the number of electrode insertion holes correspond one-to-one with the microelectrodes in the number of electrode positioning slots. Each electrode insertion hole adopts a through-hole structure that runs vertically through the top and bottom. Two vents are provided on the outer wall of the ambient atmosphere cover. An inert gas pipeline is inserted into one of the vents, and a solvent atmosphere pipeline is inserted into the other vent. The controller is housed within the base; The touchscreen is embedded in the front side of the base; The touch screen, lifting motor, and rotary motor are respectively connected to the controller, which is connected to an external power plug through a power conversion chip.

[0007] In the above-mentioned coating device for a microelectrode, a Peltier is provided between the membrane solution tank and the corresponding membrane solution tank mounting position; the Peltier is powered by a conductive slip ring.

[0008] In the above-mentioned coating device for a microelectrode, the conductive slip ring is mounted on the output shaft of the rotary motor, a cable at one end of the conductive slip ring is electrically connected to a cable inside the rotary motor, and a cable at the other end of the conductive slip ring is connected to the Peltier.

[0009] In the above-mentioned coating device for a microelectrode, the other end of the longitudinal connecting rod and the middle part of the electrode loading disk are respectively provided with through holes extending vertically, and the through hole of the longitudinal connecting rod and the through hole of the electrode loading disk are connected to form a bolt mounting hole; the longitudinal connecting rod and the middle part of the electrode loading disk are connected together by fastening bolts installed in the bolt mounting hole.

[0010] In the above-mentioned coating device for a microelectrode, a power switch is provided on the base, and the power switch is connected to the power conversion chip.

[0011] The present invention also provides a coating method for a microelectrode, which uses the above-described microelectrode coating apparatus to perform coating, and includes the following steps: S1, a microelectrode to be coated is installed in each electrode positioning groove; S2, install a membrane solution tank at one of the membrane solution tank installation positions, put the membrane solution into the membrane solution tank, then cover the base with an ambient atmosphere hood, introduce inert gas into the ambient atmosphere hood through an inert gas pipeline, and introduce solvent atmosphere into the ambient atmosphere hood through a solvent atmosphere pipeline. S3, set the lifting speed of the lifting motor, the rotation interval and rotation speed of the rotary motor on the touch screen. The lifting motor drives the slider to move up and down along the linear guide rail in the slider sliding groove. The slider drives the electrode loading plate to move up and down through the longitudinal connecting rod, which in turn drives the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning groove to move up and down. Each time the slider moves down, one microelectrode passes through the corresponding electrode socket and is inserted into the corresponding membrane solution tank for coating. The remaining microelectrodes are inserted into their respective electrode sockets. Each time, one microelectrode is lifted and coated. Then, as the lifting motor drives the slider to rise, the rotary motor drives the turntable to rotate, which drives the membrane solution tank on it to rotate together. Then, the lifting motor drives the slider to fall, and another microelectrode passes through the vertical electrode socket and is inserted into the membrane solution tank for lifting and coating. Repeat the above process. All the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning groove complete one lifting and coating operation in sequence, which is one round of coating operation. A total of 3 to 5 rounds of coating operation are completed to achieve lifting and coating of the entire batch of microelectrodes.

[0012] In the above-mentioned coating method for a microelectrode, in step S2, a Peltier is placed between the membrane solution tank and the corresponding membrane solution tank mounting position, and the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank is cooled by the Peltier.

[0013] In the above-described method for coating a microelectrode, the viscosity of the film solution is 0.01 to 100 cP.

[0014] In the above-described coating method for a microelectrode, the inert gas is nitrogen, helium, or argon; and the composition of the gas in the solvent atmosphere is the same as that of the solvent in the membrane solution.

[0015] The microelectrode coating device and coating method of the present invention can achieve batch coating, reduce solution evaporation, improve coating consistency, and reduce production costs. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention (with the touch screen removed). Figure 2 This is a front view of the coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the installation of the membrane solution tank in the coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a top view of the ambient atmosphere shield of the coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the electrical connections of the coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, its specific embodiments are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings: Please see Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a coating device for a microelectrode includes a base 1, a lifting mechanism 2, an electrode loading plate 3, a rotary motor 5, a turntable 6, an ambient atmosphere cover 7, a controller 8, and a touch screen 9.

[0018] The lifting mechanism 2 includes a housing 21, a lifting motor 27, a linear guide rail 22, a slider 23, and a longitudinal connecting rod 24. The housing 21 is located at the top of the base 1, the lifting motor 27 is located inside the housing 21, the linear guide rail 22 is vertically located inside the housing 21, and a slider sliding groove 25 is vertically provided on the front side of the housing 21. The slider 23 is slidably mounted on the linear guide rail 22 and is located within the slider sliding groove 25. The slider 23 is driven by the lifting motor. One end of the longitudinal connecting rod 24 is connected to the slider 23. The bottom of the other end of the longitudinal connecting rod 24 is connected to the top of the electrode loading plate 3. The other end of the longitudinal connecting rod 24 and the middle part of the electrode loading plate 3 are respectively provided with through holes that pass through vertically. The through holes of the longitudinal connecting rod 24 and the through holes of the electrode loading plate 3 communicate to form bolt mounting holes. The longitudinal connecting rod 24 and the middle part of the electrode loading plate 3 are connected together by fastening bolts 4 installed in the bolt mounting holes. Several electrode positioning grooves 31 are evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the electrode loading plate 3. In use, each electrode positioning slot 31 is equipped with a micro electrode; the lifting motor 27 drives the slider 23 to move up and down along the linear guide rail 22 in the slider sliding slot 25, and the slider 23 drives the electrode loading plate 3 to move up and down through the longitudinal connecting rod 24, thereby driving the micro electrode in the electrode positioning slot 31 to move up and down.

[0019] The ambient atmosphere cover 7 covers the bottom of the base 1, and the ambient atmosphere cover 7 is located in front of the lifting mechanism 2; A rotary motor 5 is installed inside the base 1, and a turntable 6 is placed inside the ambient atmosphere enclosure 7. The output shaft of the rotary motor 5 is connected to the turntable 6. A plurality of membrane solution tank mounting positions 61 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper surface of the turntable 6, and at least one membrane solution tank mounting position 61 is provided with a membrane solution tank 10. In this embodiment, one membrane solution tank 10 is selected and mounted on one of the membrane solution tank mounting positions 61. The rotary motor 5 drives the turntable 6 to rotate, causing the membrane solution tank 10 on it to rotate together.

[0020] The top of the ambient atmosphere cover 7 has a number of electrode insertion holes 71 evenly distributed along the same circumference. These electrode insertion holes 71 are located directly above several membrane solution tank mounting positions 61, and each electrode insertion hole 71 corresponds to a microelectrode in a number of electrode positioning slots 31. Each electrode insertion hole 71 has a through-hole structure that extends vertically. When the electrode loading disk 3 moves downwards, the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning slots 31 pass through the through-holes 71 and are inserted into the corresponding membrane solution tank 10 for coating.

[0021] Two vents are formed on the outer wall of the ambient atmosphere shield 7. One vent houses an inert gas conduit 72, and the other houses a solvent atmosphere conduit 73. Inert gas is introduced into the ambient atmosphere shield 7 through the inert gas conduit 72, and a solvent atmosphere is introduced into the ambient atmosphere shield 7 through the solvent atmosphere conduit 73. The inert gas can be nitrogen, helium, or argon. During the coating process, it prevents the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank 10 from being oxidized and deteriorated, maintaining the stability of the membrane solution. The composition of the gas in the solvent atmosphere can be the same as the solvent of the membrane solution, used to suppress the increase in the concentration of the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank 10 due to solvent evaporation, thereby reducing the concentration change of the membrane solution during the coating process. The solvent of the membrane solution can be selected from at least one of ethanol, water, tetrahydrofuran, acetone, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether, turpentine, mineral solvents, and volatile oils. For example, when the solvent of the membrane solution is ethanol, the composition of the gas in the solvent atmosphere is also ethanol. The saturation of the gas in the solvent atmosphere can be 75%~90% or 90%~100%. Under these conditions, the gas in the solvent atmosphere can effectively suppress the evaporation of the solution, thereby maintaining the concentration of the film solution during the coating process.

[0022] The controller 8 is installed inside the base 1; the touch screen 9 is embedded on the front side of the base 1; the touch screen 9, the lifting motor 27 and the rotary motor 5 are respectively connected to the controller 8, the controller 8 is connected to an external power plug through the power conversion chip 81, and the base 1 is provided with a power switch 11, which is connected to the power conversion chip 81.

[0023] A Peltier 62 is installed between the membrane solution tank 10 and the corresponding membrane solution tank mounting position 61. The Peltier 62 is powered by a conductive slip ring 63, which is mounted on the output shaft of the rotary motor 5. One end of the conductive slip ring is electrically connected to the cable inside the rotary motor 5, and the other end is connected to the Peltier 62. The Peltier 62 can cool the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank 10, further reducing the evaporation of the membrane solution and maintaining its stability.

[0024] The coating apparatus for the microelectrode of the present invention has an equal number of electrode positioning slots 31 on the electrode loading disk 3, an equal number of electrode insertion holes 71 on the ambient atmosphere cover 7, and an equal number of membrane solution tank mounting positions 61 on the turntable 6. The number of electrode positioning slots 31, electrode insertion holes 71, membrane solution tank mounting positions 61, and membrane solution tanks 10 can be set as needed. In this embodiment, the number of electrode positioning slots 31, electrode insertion holes 71, and membrane solution tank mounting positions 61 is 12 each.

[0025] A coating method for a microelectrode, using the aforementioned microelectrode coating apparatus, includes the following steps: S1, a microelectrode to be coated is installed in each electrode positioning groove 31; S2, install a membrane solution tank 10 on one of the membrane solution tank installation positions 61, then cover the base 1 with an ambient atmosphere hood 7, introduce inert gas into the ambient atmosphere hood 7 through an inert gas pipeline 72, and introduce solvent atmosphere into the ambient atmosphere hood through a solvent atmosphere pipeline 73. S3, microelectrodes are respectively installed in the 12 electrode positioning slots 31. The lifting speed of the lifting motor 27 and the rotation interval and rotation speed of the rotary motor 5 are set via the touch screen 9. The lifting motor 27 drives the slider 23 to move up and down along the linear guide rail 22 within the slider sliding groove 25. The slider 23 drives the electrode loading disk 3 to move up and down via the longitudinal connecting rod 24, thereby driving the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning slots 31 to move up and down. Each time it moves downward, one microelectrode passes through the electrode insertion hole 71 and is inserted into the corresponding membrane solution tank 10 for coating. The remaining microelectrodes are inserted into their respective electrode insertion holes. Each time, one microelectrode is lifted and coated. Then, as the lifting motor 27 drives the slider 23 to rise, the rotary motor 5 drives the turntable 6 to rotate, causing the membrane solution tank 10 on it to rotate together, moving the membrane solution tank 10 by one station angle. Then, the lifting motor 27 drives the slider 23 to descend, and another microelectrode passes through the electrode insertion hole 71 and is inserted into the corresponding membrane solution tank 10 for lifting and coating. The above process is repeated. All microelectrodes in the 12 electrode positioning slots 31 complete one lifting coating operation in sequence, which constitutes one round of coating operation. A total of 3 to 5 rounds of coating operations are completed to achieve lifting coating of the entire batch of microelectrodes. In this way, the drying and evaporation film formation time of the film solution on the previous microelectrode is used to lift coating the next microelectrode, saving coating time and realizing batch coating.

[0026] Electrode positioning grooves 31 are evenly distributed on the outer circumference of the electrode loading disk 3, ensuring that all microelectrodes are positioned consistently on the coating fixture. This results in a relatively uniform state of the microelectrodes before coating, thus improving coating consistency. Furthermore, the electrode positioning grooves 31 effectively fix the microelectrodes, which is beneficial for improving coating quality. The drying process for the microelectrodes after coating is simple, requiring only room temperature drying.

[0027] During the coating process, inert gas is introduced into the ambient atmosphere hood 7 through the inert gas pipeline 72, and a solvent atmosphere is introduced into the ambient atmosphere hood through the solvent atmosphere pipeline 73 to maintain the stability and concentration of the membrane solution. Furthermore, the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank 10 is cooled by a Peltier 62 to further reduce evaporation and maintain stability, thus improving coating consistency. The membrane solution in one membrane solution tank 10 can be used to coat multiple microelectrodes, significantly reducing production costs. The resulting membrane has a smooth surface, excellent toughness, and no cracking.

[0028] The coating device for the microelectrode of the present invention allows multiple membrane solution tanks to be installed adjacent to each other when multiple membrane solution tank mounting positions 61 are provided. By setting the appropriate lifting speed of the lifting motor 27, the rotation interval time and rotation speed of the rotary motor 5 through the touch screen, the coating operation of each round can be successfully realized.

[0029] In summary, the microelectrode coating device of the present invention can achieve batch coating, reduce solution evaporation, improve coating consistency, and reduce production costs.

[0030] Those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any variations or modifications to the above embodiments that are within the spirit and essence of the present invention will fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A coating device for a microelectrode, characterized in that, Includes a base, lifting mechanism, electrode loading plate, ambient atmosphere cover, rotary motor, turntable, controller, and touch screen, among which: The lifting mechanism includes a housing, a lifting motor, a linear guide rail, a slider, and a longitudinal connecting rod. The housing is located at the top of the base, the lifting motor is located inside the housing, the linear guide rail is vertically located inside the housing, and a slider sliding groove is vertically formed on the front side of the housing. The slider is slidably mounted on the linear guide rail and is located within the slider sliding groove. The slider is driven by the lifting motor. One end of the longitudinal connecting rod is connected to the slider. The other end of the longitudinal connecting rod is connected to the electrode loading disk; The outer circumference of the electrode loading disk is evenly distributed with several electrode positioning grooves. The ambient atmosphere cover is located at the bottom of the base and is situated in front of the lifting mechanism. The rotary motor is installed inside the base, the turntable is set inside the ambient atmosphere cover, the output shaft of the rotary motor is connected to the turntable, and a plurality of membrane solution tank mounting positions are evenly distributed along the circumference of the upper end surface of the turntable, and a membrane solution tank is provided at at least one membrane solution tank mounting position. The top of the ambient atmosphere cover has a number of electrode insertion holes evenly distributed along the same circumference. The number of electrode insertion holes are located directly above the installation positions of the number of membrane solution tanks, and the number of electrode insertion holes correspond one-to-one with the microelectrodes in the number of electrode positioning slots. Each electrode insertion hole adopts a through-hole structure that runs vertically through the top and bottom. Two vents are provided on the outer wall of the ambient atmosphere cover. An inert gas pipeline is inserted into one of the vents, and a solvent atmosphere pipeline is inserted into the other vent. The controller is housed within the base; The touchscreen is embedded in the front side of the base; The touch screen, lifting motor, and rotary motor are respectively connected to the controller, which is connected to an external power plug through a power conversion chip.

2. The coating device for a microelectrode according to claim 1, characterized in that, A Peltier is provided between the membrane solution tank and the corresponding membrane solution tank mounting position; the Peltier is powered by a conductive slip ring.

3. The coating device for a microelectrode according to claim 2, characterized in that, The conductive slip ring is mounted on the output shaft of the rotary motor. One end of the conductive slip ring is electrically connected to the cable inside the rotary motor, and the other end of the conductive slip ring is connected to the Peltier.

4. The coating device for a microelectrode according to claim 1, characterized in that, The other end of the longitudinal connecting rod and the middle part of the electrode loading plate are respectively provided with through holes that extend vertically, and the through hole of the longitudinal connecting rod and the through hole of the electrode loading plate are connected to form a bolt mounting hole; the longitudinal connecting rod and the middle part of the electrode loading plate are connected together by fastening bolts installed in the bolt mounting hole.

5. The coating device for a microelectrode according to claim 1, characterized in that, A power switch is provided on the base, and the power switch is connected to the power conversion chip.

6. A coating method for a microelectrode, characterized in that, The coating process using the microelectrode coating apparatus as described in claim 1 includes the following steps: S1, a microelectrode to be coated is installed in each electrode positioning groove; S2, install a membrane solution tank at one of the membrane solution tank installation positions, put the membrane solution into the membrane solution tank, then cover the base with an ambient atmosphere hood, introduce inert gas into the ambient atmosphere hood through an inert gas pipeline, and introduce solvent atmosphere into the ambient atmosphere hood through a solvent atmosphere pipeline. S3, set the lifting speed of the lifting motor, the rotation interval and rotation speed of the rotary motor on the touch screen. The lifting motor drives the slider to move up and down along the linear guide rail in the slider sliding groove. The slider drives the electrode loading plate to move up and down through the longitudinal connecting rod, which in turn drives the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning groove to move up and down. Each time the slider moves down, one microelectrode passes through the corresponding electrode insertion hole and is inserted into the corresponding membrane solution tank for coating. The remaining microelectrodes are inserted into their respective electrode insertion holes. Each time, one microelectrode is lifted and coated. Then, as the lifting motor drives the slider to rise, the rotary motor drives the turntable to rotate, which drives the membrane solution tank on it to rotate together. Then, the lifting motor drives the slider to fall, and another microelectrode passes through the vertical electrode insertion hole and is inserted into the membrane solution tank for lifting and coating. Repeat the above process. All the microelectrodes in the electrode positioning groove complete one lifting and coating operation in sequence, which is one round of coating operation. A total of 3 to 5 rounds of coating operation are completed to achieve lifting and coating of the entire batch of microelectrodes.

7. The coating method for a microelectrode according to claim 6, characterized in that, In step S2, a Peltier is installed between the membrane solution tank and the corresponding membrane solution tank installation position to cool the membrane solution in the membrane solution tank.

8. The coating method for a microelectrode according to claim 6, characterized in that, The viscosity of the membrane solution is 0.01 to 100 cP.

9. The coating method for a microelectrode according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inert gas is nitrogen, helium, or argon; the composition of the gas in the solvent atmosphere is the same as that of the solvent in the membrane solution.

Images