Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
  • G01N29/02—Analysing fluids
  • G01N29/036—Analysing fluids by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N29/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves; Visualisation of the interior of objects by transmitting ultrasonic or sonic waves through the object
  • G01N29/02—Analysing fluids
  • G01N29/022—Fluid sensors based on microsensors, e.g. quartz crystal-microbalance [QCM], surface acoustic wave [SAW] devices, tuning forks, cantilevers, flexural plate wave [FPW] devices
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
  • G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
  • G01N2291/021—Gases
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
  • G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
  • G01N2291/022—Liquids
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
  • G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
  • G01N2291/028—Material parameters
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
  • G01N2291/02—Indexing codes associated with the analysed material
  • G01N2291/028—Material parameters
  • G01N2291/02809—Concentration of a compound, e.g. measured by a surface mass change
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
  • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
  • G01N2291/00—Indexing codes associated with group G01N29/00
  • G01N2291/10—Number of transducers
  • G01N2291/106—Number of transducers one or more transducer arrays

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of chemical compound detection and dosing and in particular to devices enabling such detection and / or assay using at least one vibrating surface as a transducer.
• the gravimetric type devices and in particular those implementing one or more vibrating surfaces as a transducer, generally make it possible to achieve sensitivities and selectivities greater than those obtained by others. technologies.
• Such detection and / or dosing devices comprise one to several vibrating surfaces, such as those formed by levers, preferably functionalized so as to interact preferentially with one or more specific chemical compounds.
• vibrating surfaces such as those formed by levers
• the interaction of the vibrating surface with this specific chemical compound modifies the resonance frequency of the latter by a modification of its physical characteristics.
• -chemicals such as its mass or surface energy. Measuring the resonant frequency of the vibrating surface therefore makes it possible to know whether the surface has been brought into contact with said specific chemical compound and in what proportion.
• such devices generally comprise, for each of the vibrating surfaces, a vibrating surface actuating system adapted to vibrate the vibrating surface and a system for measuring the amplitude of the vibrating surface. vibration of the vibrating surface.
• actuating systems can be of three different types: actuating systems capacitive, piezoelectric actuation systems and Laplace force actuation systems.
• these actuating systems must include an adaptation of the vibrating surface to vibrate.
• the vibrating surface necessarily comprises a conductive area so as to form a frame of a capacitor and an electrical connection to apply to the conductive area a bias voltage.
• the vibrating surface must comprise both a piezoelectric zone formed in a piezoelectric material and an electrical connection for polarizing the piezoelectric zone.
• the vibrating surface must have a conductive loop to generate a magnetic field when a current is flowing through it.
• the object of the invention is to remedy this drawback, and in particular to provide a detection and / or dosing device which comprises several vibrating surfaces and at least one actuating system, said actuation system having no no influence on the mechanical characteristics of the vibrating surfaces and therefore on their resonance frequency and allowing a common calibration of the vibrating surfaces.
• the invention relates to a device for detecting and / or assaying one or more chemical compounds comprising:
• At least one first vibrating surface having a resonant frequency which varies when the first vibrating surface is brought into contact with at least one chemical compound to be detected
• At least one first system for actuating the first vibrating surface adapted to vibrate the first vibrating surface.
• the first actuation system is adapted to generate a first mechanical wave remote from the first vibrating surface, said first actuation system being arranged in said detection and / or dosing device so that the first mechanical wave is transmitted. to the first vibrating surface so as to vibrate the first vibrating surface.
• Such a device may also be simpler to manufacture, since the actuating system is not necessarily integrated with a substrate of the vibrating surface and it can be macroscopic contrary to operating systems of the prior art which necessarily include elements of the same order of magnitude as the vibrating surface, that is to say microscopic.
• the device may comprise at least a second vibrating surface having a resonant frequency which varies when the second vibrating surface is brought into contact with at least one chemical compound to be detected, the first actuation system being arranged so that the first mechanical wave is transmitted to the second surface so as to also vibrate the second vibrating surface.
• the device allows the transmission of the same mechanical wave to the first and the second vibrating surface. It is therefore possible to make a common calibration for the first and second vibrating surfaces.
• the device may further comprise a plurality of vibrating surface vibration amplitude measuring systems configured to measure the vibration amplitude of the first and second vibrating surfaces.
• Systems for measuring the vibration amplitude of vibrating surfaces may include strain gauges and optical systems such as laser vibrometers.
• the arrangement of the first actuation system with respect to the first and the second vibrating surface can be adapted so that the power of the first mechanical wave transmitted to the first and second vibrating surfaces is substantially equal.
• the device may comprise, according to a possibility outside the scope of the invention:
• At least one second vibrating surface having a resonant frequency which varies when the second vibrating surface is brought into contact with at least one chemical compound to be detected
• At least one second actuating system of the second vibrating surface adapted to vibrate the second vibrating surface, the second actuating system being adapted to generate a second mechanical wave remote from the second vibrating surface, said second system actuator being arranged in said device so that the second mechanical wave is transmitted to the second surface to vibrate.
• the device may comprise:
• a vibrating surface substrate disposed in said cell, said substrate comprising the first vibrating surface.
• the cell may include the first actuation system.
• the first actuation system may be a piezoelectric actuator.
• the first vibrating surface can be made of diamond.
• the invention furthermore relates to a cell intended to be used in a device according to the invention and in which a chemical composition comprising at least one chemical compound to be detected may be introduced, said cell comprising at least one location intended to receive a vibrating surface substrate having at least a first vibrating surface having a resonant frequency that varies when the first vibrating surface is brought into contact with at least one chemical compound to be detected,
• said cell further comprising at least a first actuation system adapted to generate a first mechanical wave remote from the location, said first actuation system being arranged in the cell so that the first mechanical wave is transmitted to the first vibrating surface so as to vibrate the first vibrating surface when the vibrating surface substrate is received in the location.
• the invention furthermore relates to a cell intended to be used in a device according to the invention, and in which a chemical composition comprising at least one chemical compound to be detected may be introduced, said cell comprising at least a first and a second location for respectively receiving a first and a second vibrating surface substrate respectively comprising a first and a second vibrating surface having each having a resonant frequency which varies when they are placed in the presence of at least one chemical compound to be detected,
• said cell further comprises at least a first actuation system adapted to generate a first mechanical wave remote from the first and second location, said first actuation system being arranged in the cell so that the first mechanical wave is transmitted at the first and second vibrating surfaces to vibrate the first and second vibrating surfaces as the first and second vibrating surface substrates are received in the first and second locations.
• composition a mixture of chemical compounds in fluidic form, that is to say gaseous or in solution.
• the device according to the invention may comprise:
• At least a first and a second vibrating surface substrate disposed in said cell, the first and second substrates respectively comprising the first and the second vibrating surface.
• the device according to the invention may comprise:
• At least one vibrating surface substrate disposed in said cell, said substrate comprising at least the first and second vibrating surfaces.
• FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary detection and / or assay device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the device illustrated in FIG.
• FIGS. 3a and 3b respectively show an example of a vibrating surface of a device according to the invention comprising a strain gauge, and a measuring principle of the strain gauge,
• FIGS. 4a, b and c illustrate an example of a cover for a device according to the invention in which the vibration measurement systems of the vibrating surfaces are strain gages
• FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary hood for a device according to the invention in which the measurement systems are optical.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a device 1 for detecting and / or dosing one or more chemical compounds, in which a chemical composition, in fluidic form, can be introduced to detect and / or dose at least one chemical compound .
• Such a device comprises, as illustrated in the exploded view of FIG. 2:
• the cell 10 comprises, as illustrated in FIG. 2:
• an analysis chamber 13 delimiting an analysis volume intended to contain the chemical composition
• the base 11 comprises a base and a housing for housing the piezoelectric actuator 12 and the analysis chamber 13.
• the base 11 comprises a through hole for the electrical connection of the piezoelectric actuator 12.
• the piezoelectric actuator 12 is a piezoelectric transducer adapted to generate a mechanical wave in a frequency range comprising the resonant frequencies of the vibrating surfaces 21.
• the piezoelectric actuator 12 has a circular shape so as to have axial symmetry.
• the cell may comprise another type of actuation system adapted to generate a mechanical wave such as for example an electromagnetic actuation system.
• the analysis chamber 13 is disposed in the housing formed by the base 11 by being in mechanical contact with the piezoelectric actuator 12.
• the enclosure has a generally cylindrical shape and comprises an axis of symmetry. When the analysis chamber 13 and the piezoelectric actuator 12 are arranged in the housing of the base 11, the axes of symmetry of the analysis chamber 13 and the piezoelectric actuator 12 coincide.
• the inner surface of the analysis chamber 13 is preferably neutral with respect to the chemical compounds to be analyzed, that is to say that it is adapted not to react chemically or physically with said chemical compounds.
• Such neutrality of the inner surface of the analysis chamber 13 can be obtained either by the material in which the analysis chamber 13 is made or by a suitable inner lining.
• the analysis chamber 13 may for example be made, depending on the type of chemical compositions to be analyzed, of stainless steel, polytetrafluoroethylene (better known by its acronym PTFE), polyetheretherketone (better known by its acronym PEEK) or in a glass.
• the analysis chamber 13 may also comprise, depending on the chemical compounds to be analyzed and their shape, a coating in one of these same materials.
• the analysis chamber 13 has locations each adapted to receive a substrate 20 of vibrating surfaces.
• the locations of the substrates 20 are distributed in the chamber substantially equidistant from the axis of symmetry of the analysis chamber 13.
• the locations of the substrates 20 are arranged in the analysis chamber 13 so as to a substrate 10 disposed on one of the locations is in mechanical contact with the test chamber.
• FIG. 3a illustrates an example of a vibrating surface substrate 20 in which the vibrating surface 21 is a micrometric lever and in which there is provided a strain gauge 22 integrated at the base of the lever for measuring the vibration amplitude of the lever.
• Such a strain gauge 22 known from the prior art, is a resistive dipole whose resistance varies with the stress applied to it. Such an integrated gauge at the base of the lever, therefore sees its resistance varied depending on the vibration amplitude of the lever. Thus, by placing the strain gauge 22 in a Wheatstone bridge 25, as illustrated in FIG. 3b, it is possible to obtain an accurate measurement of the vibration amplitude of the lever.
• Each strain gauge 22 forms a system for measuring the vibration amplitude of the corresponding vibrating surface 21.
• the measurement of the amplitude of vibration of a lever is also possible for the measurement of the amplitude of vibration of a lever to be carried out in the device 1 by an optical measurement such as obtained with a laser vibrometer.
• an optical measurement such as obtained with a laser vibrometer.
• the lever of a substrate 20 has the following characteristic dimensions:
• This lever is preferably made of diamond but can also be made of another material such as a silicon carbide, a tungsten carbide, a silicon nitride or silicon.
• the diamond is nevertheless to be preferred since it allows the lever surface to be functionalized without the need to use a hook layer, such as a gold layer, to achieve such surface functionalization.
• the diamond by its strong Young's modulus, allows the supply of vibrating surface with particularly important resonant frequencies and quality factors of this resonance also important, which allows to obtain a good sensitivity in the frame. detection of chemical compounds.
• each of the vibrating surfaces 21 is preferentially functionalized so that each of the vibrating surfaces 21 is particularly sensitive to a chemical compound or to a family of chemical compounds.
• the vibrating surfaces 21 may be functionalized to interact with the presence of narcotics, their precursors and / or their degradation products in a gaseous medium. such as, for example, opiates, cocaine, cannabinoids or amphetamines.
• each of the vibrating surfaces can be functionalized to interact with a predefined gene or gene portion.
• the device can also be adapted to allow environmental analyzes such as air or water quality analyzes, the vibrating surfaces then being functionalized to interact with certain pollutants or pollution markers.
• the substrates 20 according to this embodiment comprise a vibrating surface 21 in the form of a lever
• the substrate may incorporate another type of vibrating surface, such as vibrating bridges or vibrating membranes, or have a more complex shape than that of a simple lever, comprising, for example, a circular platform, or square, whose width is greater than that of the base of the lever.
• the substrates 20 When the substrates 20 are placed on their dedicated locations in the analysis chamber, the substrates 20 are then in mechanical contact with the analysis chamber 13 which is itself in mechanical contact with the piezoelectric actuator 12. Any mechanical wave generated by the mechanical actuator will be transmitted to the analysis chamber 13 and the substrates 20 located in the analysis chamber 13.
• the vibrating surfaces 21 are therefore also subjected to the mechanical wave.
• the mechanical wave thus transmitted to the vibrating surfaces, if its frequency coincides with the resonance frequency of certain vibrating surfaces, excites the resonant vibration mode of these vibrating surfaces and then sets them in vibration.
• the piezoelectric actuator forms an actuation system adapted to generate a mechanical wave remote from the vibrating surfaces 21 and whose arrangement allows a transmission of the mechanical wave to the vibrating surfaces 21 to put it in vibration.
• the analysis chamber 13 is in fluid communication with the supply conduit 15 thus allowing the introduction into the chamber of analysis of the chemical composition by said conduit. Similarly, in order to extract the chemical composition after analysis, the chamber is in fluid communication with the withdrawal conduit 16.
• the hood illustrated in FIG. 2 is adapted to hermetically close the analysis chamber 13 while allowing electrical connection of the substrates 20 with the outside of the cell 10 to a processing unit, not shown.
• the hermeticity of the closing of the analysis chamber 13 by the cover 14 is obtained, as illustrated in FIG. 2, by means of an O-ring 17 which is interposed between the cover 14 and the cover 14. test chamber 13.
• the cover comprises, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 a, b and c, passages for connectors 18, shown in FIG. Figure 4c by solid lines.
• These connectors 18 to facilitate the making contact on the substrates 20, are preferably spring connectors so as to allow a contact on the substrates by a simple implementation. place of the cover 14 which puts them in contact with contact surfaces formed on the substrates 20.
• the passages of the connectors are preferably filled, after installation of the spring connectors 18 and as illustrated in FIG. 4c, by a waterproof filling material 19, such as an adhesive.
• a waterproof filling material 19 such as an adhesive.
• Such a filling material 19, as well as the inner surface of the cover forming an inner wall of the enclosure when the cell is closed, are preferably neutral or neutralized vis-à-vis the chemical compounds to be analyzed.
• the cover has a conformation adapted for such a measurement.
• Figure 5 illustrates a sectional view of a cover 14 having such a conformation. Indeed, so as to allow the measurement, the cover has a central wall 14a at least partially transparent to the wavelength at which the amplitude measurement is performed.
• the device 1 is adapted to be connected to a control unit.
• the control unit is configured to control the piezoelectric actuator and measure the resonant frequency of the vibrating surfaces so as to detect and / or assay at least one chemical compound in a chemical composition.
• the control unit is configured to implement the method of detecting and / or assaying at least one chemical compound comprising the following steps:
• the piezoelectric actuator so as to apply a mechanical wave by scanning its frequency over a frequency range in which the resonance frequencies of the vibrating surfaces, whether or not they have reacted with a chemical compound, are included, measuring during the implementation of the piezoelectric actuator 12 of the amplitude of vibration so as to detect the resonant frequency of each of the vibrating surfaces 21,
• the processing unit can also be configured to perform a first calibration step prior to the analysis of the chemical composition.
• a preliminary calibration step may include the substeps of:
• the device 1 comprises a cell 10 which comprises the piezoelectric actuator 12, and a plurality of substrates 20 each having a vibrating surface 21, it is also possible without going out of the of the invention, the device 1 comprises a single substrate 20 on which are integrated an actuating system and the vibrating surfaces 21.
• the device comprises a plurality of substrates each comprising an actuating system and a vibrating surface, said actuating system being dedicated to the vibrating surface on the same substrate, and an equal number of vibrating surfaces or a single substrate comprising a plurality actuating systems and vibrating surfaces.
• the transmission of the mechanical wave generated by the piezoelectric actuator to each of the vibrating surfaces 21 is made by mechanical contact between the piezoelectric actuator 12 and the analysis chamber 13 and between the analysis chamber 13 and each of the substrates 20, it is conceivable, without departing from the scope of the invention that the transmission of the mechanical wave is performed acoustically.
• the piezoelectric actuator 12 could be disposed in the enclosure 10 away from the substrates 20 without mechanical contact with the latter, the mechanical wave being transmitted by acoustic wave through the fluid in the analysis chamber 13
• This possibility of the invention is particularly suitable in the case where the chemical composition to be analyzed is a liquid solution.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Immunology (AREA)
• Pathology (AREA)
• Measurement Of Levels Of Liquids Or Fluent Solid Materials (AREA)
• Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
• Apparatus Associated With Microorganisms And Enzymes (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=51014484

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Family Cites Families (6)

• 2014
  • 2014-04-04 FR FR1453019A patent/FR3019650B1/fr active Active
• 2015
  • 2015-04-02 WO PCT/EP2015/057412 patent/WO2015150562A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2015-04-02 EP EP15713897.5A patent/EP3126824A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2015-04-02 US US15/301,512 patent/US20180209941A1/en not_active Abandoned

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