Pair of measuring electrodes, biosensor comprising a pair of measuring electrodes of this type, and production process

Abstract

A pair of measuring electrodes comprising a first and a second, preferably in each case sheet-like electrode comprises an insulation layer arranged between said electrodes. One or more nanopores, which extend through said insulation layer as far as said first electrode, the surface of which is at least partially uncovered by said nanopores, are provided in each second electrode. The invention also describes a biosensor comprising a pair of measuring electrodes of this type, an electrochemical cell comprising a biosensor of this type and a process for producing said pair of measuring electrodes.

1 . A pair of measuring electrodes, comprising a first and a second electrode, and an insulation layer arranged between the electrodes, wherein one or more nanopores are provided in the second electrode, and wherein the nanopores extend through the insulation layer to the first electrode, the surface of which is at least partially uncovered by the nanopores, wherein the nanopores have an opening width selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       2 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes are sheet-like. 
   
   
       3 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanopores are distributed regularly. 
   
   
       4 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanopores are distributed randomly. 
   
   
       5 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the insulation layer has a thickness selected from the range of approximately 10 nm to approximately 200 nm. 
   
   
       6 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the insulation layer has a thickness of approximately 50 nm. 
   
   
       7 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes have a diameter selected from the range of approximately 1 μm to approximately 10 mm. 
   
   
       8 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes have a diameter of approximately 10 μm. 
   
   
       9 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes are applied to an insulating substrate. 
   
   
       10 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 9 , wherein the insulating substrate comprises at least one of glass, silicon/silicon oxide, and a polymer. 
   
   
       11 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the electrodes contain metal. 
   
   
       12 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 11 , wherein the electrodes contain at least one of gold, platinum, palladium, iridium, carbon, and a carbon compound. 
   
   
       13 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the insulation layer includes a silicon compound or a polymer layer. 
   
   
       14 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 1 , wherein the nanopores form a proportion of at least approximately 5% of the surface area of the first electrode. 
   
   
       15 . The pair of measuring electrodes according to  claim 14 , wherein the nanopores form a proportion of at least 60% of the surface area of the first electrode. 
   
   
       16 . An electrochemical cell comprising a biosensor, wherein the biosensor comprises at least one pair of measuring electrodes, wherein the pair of measuring electrodes comprises a first and a second electrode and an insulation layer arranged between the electrodes, wherein one or more nanopores are provided in the second electrode, wherein the nanopores extend through the insulation layer to the first electrode, the surface of which is at least partially uncovered by the nanopores, and wherein the nanopores have an opening width selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 1000 nm, wherein the cell comprises a receiving space for an electrolyte, and wherein the electrolyte includes molecules to be recorded using the biosensor. 
   
   
       17 . The electrochemical cell according to  claim 16 , wherein the cell comprises terminals for a readout circuit. 
   
   
       18 . The electrochemical cell according to  claim 17 , wherein the readout circuit is a potentiostat circuit. 
   
   
       19 . The electrochemical cell of  claim 16 , wherein the insulation layer has a thickness selected from the range of approximately 10 nm to approximately 200 nm. 
   
   
       20 . A method of manufacturing a pair of measuring electrodes, comprising:
 a) applying a first electrode to an insulating substrate;   b) applying an insulation layer to the first electrode;   c) masking the insulation layer using a nanostructured shadow mask made from nanoparticles;   d) applying a second electrode to the insulation layer, without any electrode material being deposited in the region of the nanoparticles, wherein the second electrode has a layer thickness in the region of the radius of the nanoparticles;   e) removing the nanoparticles; and   f) etching the insulation layer as far as the first electrode, wherein the second electrode serves as an etching mask.   
   
   
       21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein, prior to step c), the surface of the insulation layer is pretreated in order to achieve a uniform distribution of the nanoparticles on the surface. 
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the first electrode has a layer thickness selected from the range of approximately 50 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the nanoparticles have a diameter selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       24 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the second electrode has a thickness selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 500 nm. 
   
   
       25 . A method of manufacturing a pair of measuring electrodes, comprising:
 a) applying a first electrode to an insulating substrate;   b) masking the first electrode using a nanostructured shadow mask made from nanoparticles;   c) applying an insulation layer to the first electrode, without any insulation material being deposited in the region of the nanoparticles;   d) applying a second electrode to the insulation layer, without any electrode material being deposited in the region of the nanoparticles, wherein the second electrode has a layer thickness in the region of the radius of the nanoparticles; and   e) removing the nanoparticles.   
   
   
       26 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the first electrode has a layer thickness selected from the range of approximately 50 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       27 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the nanoparticles have a diameter selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       28 . The method according to  claim 25 , wherein the second electrode has a layer thickness selected from the range of approximately 20 nm to approximately 500 nm. 
   
   
       29 . A method of manufacturing a pair of measuring electrodes, comprising:
 a) applying a first electrode to an insulating substrate;   b) applying an insulation layer to the first electrode;   c) applying a nanostructured second electrode to the insulation layer; and   d) etching the insulation layer as far as the first electrode, wherein the second electrode serves as an etching mask.   
   
   
       30 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein the layer thickness of the first electrode is selected from the range of approximately 50 nm to approximately 1000 nm. 
   
   
       31 . The method according to  claim 29 , wherein the layer thickness of the first electrode is selected from the range of approximately 100 nm to approximately 200 nm. 
   
   
       32 . A method of manufacturing a pair of measuring electrodes, comprising:
 a) applying a first electrode to an insulating substrate;   b) applying an insulating layer to the first electrode;   c) applying a second electrode to the insulating layer; and   d) producing nanopores in the second electrode, extending through the insulation layer to the first electrode, wherein the surface of the first electrode is at least partially uncovered by the nanopores.   
   
   
       33 . The method according to  claim 32 , wherein the layer thickness of the first electrode is selected from the range of approximately 50 nm to approximately 1000 nm.