Electrode Plate with Through-Holes for High Sensitivity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrode plates for electrochemical measurements face challenges in sensitivity and reaction time due to the self-induced redox cycle causing inefficient oxidation of reductants on macroelectrodes and restricted electrode area on a single substrate face, leading to noise increase and prolonged reaction times.
Innovation Solution
The electrode plate design features a substrate with a plurality of oxidation and reduction electrodes sandwiched between insulating layers, with through-holes connecting them, allowing for independent potential application and efficient redox cycles, and a process for quantitative determination involving a reference or counter electrode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the area of the electrode is reduced to accelerate response speed, then the electrode response speed is improved, but the electric current value is lowered and noise response increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode is divided into multiple microelectrodes (e.g., 100 microelectrodes of 100 μm diameter) arranged in an array on the substrate. Each microelectrode maintains a small area for fast response (0.01 mm² each), while the collective array provides sufficient total area to generate detectable current signals (e.g., 10 μA) and minimize noise through signal averaging across multiple electrodes.
2Quantity of substance
If a large number of microelectrodes are integrated on a single substrate face, then the electrode area is increased to improve current value, but the self-induced redox cycle causes inefficient oxidation of reductants and prolonged reaction times
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array is configured to extend through the substrate thickness, with microelectrodes on the first surface connected via through-holes to corresponding microelectrodes on the second surface. This three-dimensional arrangement creates independent electrochemical cells across multiple dimensions, allowing simultaneous oxidation and reduction reactions to proceed in parallel without interfering with each other, thus reducing overall reaction time while maintaining high electrode area.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful self-induced redox cycle is extracted and isolated by creating through-holes that separate the oxidation and reduction microelectrodes into distinct spatial zones. The through-holes act as physical barriers that prevent the diffusion of intermediates between adjacent microelectrodes, thereby eliminating the harmful redox coupling while preserving the beneficial electrochemical reactions at each electrode.
3Quantity of substance
If macroelectrodes are used to increase electrode area, then the current value is improved, but the self-induced redox cycle causes inefficient oxidation of reductants on macroelectrodes
Solution Approach 1:
Each microelectrode in the array is designed with optimized local dimensions (100 μm diameter) and spacing to create a uniform distribution of electrochemical reactions. The through-hole configuration ensures that each local microelectrode pair operates independently with high oxidation efficiency, while the collective array provides the necessary total area for high current output. This local optimization prevents the macroelectrode-level redox coupling that reduces oxidation efficiency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enhances sensitivity and reduces reaction time by ensuring efficient redox cycles and accurate quantitative determination of substances in sample solutions, improving the detection of target substances in living bodies.
Implementation Method 1
the reaction of a saccharide with an enzyme is utilized to quantitatively determine the concentration of the saccharide electrochemically
Implementation Method 2
efficient redox cycles
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the invention is to provide an electrode plate for electrochemical measurements for detecting with high sensitivity and determining a substance included in a living body. The electrode plate of the present invention has on both faces of body of the substrate, oxidation electrode and reduction electrode opened respectively at upper layer opening and lower layer opening having the same area; and further has a plurality of through-holes that penetrate through from the face of the oxidation electrode to the face of the reduction electrode, in which electrode pairs are formed which exhibit a redox cycle effect between the oxidation electrode and the reduction electrode by applying the potential which can proceed an oxidative reaction of a reductant on the oxidation electrode, and the potential which can proceed a reductive reaction of an oxidant on the reduction electrode.