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Degree

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Chemical Engineering, 1993.

Abstract

Transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO₂) measurement is important in clinic practices. The commercial tcPO₂ sensors have the disadvantages of instability and structural complexity. To overcome these problems, a flexible solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) electrochemical oxygen sensor was developed. The sensor consisted of a Nafion membrane with three thin film metal (gold or platinum) electrodes. The Nafion served as the substrate and the electrolyte, and the metal films functioned as catalyst and gas diffusional barrier. A diffusion-controlled limiting current was used to quantify the oxygen concentration. A flexible planar Au-Nafion sensor was first constructed. The sensor characteristics were investigated under various operation conditions such as relative humidity, temperature, CV scan rate and electrode pre-polarization potential. A linear relationship between the limiting current and oxygen concentration existed in the oxygen range of 0-21 mole % with a current of 8-100 μA. A 90% response time was 14 sec. The sensor showed good performance for operating in a cyclic voltammetric mode. However, steady-state operation was hindered by the technical problems of limited reaction sites and weak adhesion at the gold-Nafion interface.

Subject Headings

Engineering, Chemical

Keywords

solid polymer electrolyte sensor transcutaneous oxygen monitoring

Advisor

Chung-Chiun Liu

Document number: case1056745410
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1056745410

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