Erosion and wear resistant sonoelectrochemical probe

Abstract

The present invention, in one set of embodiments, provides methods and systems for integrating conducting diamond electrodes into a high power acoustic resonator. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, in certain embodiments of the present invention, diamond electrodes may be integrated into a high power acoustic resonator to provide a robust sensing device that may provide for acoustic cleaning of the electrodes and increasing the rate of mass transport to the diamond electrodes. The diamond electrodes may be used as working, reference or counter electrodes or a combination of two or more of such electrodes. In certain aspects, the high power acoustic resonator may include an acoustic horn for focusing acoustic energy and the diamond electrodes may be coupled with the acoustic horn.

1 . A method for obtaining electrochemical measurements from a substance using an erosion and wear resistant sonoelectrochemical probe:
 contacting a first electrode and a second electrode of the sonoelectrochemical probe with the substance, wherein the sonoelectrochemical probe comprises a high power acoustic resonator with an acoustic horn and the first and second electrodes are disposed at one end of the acoustic horn;   using the high power acoustic resonator to generate acoustic energy; and   measuring electrical properties of an electrical current flowing between the first diamond electrode and the second electrode.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes comprise doped diamond electrodes and the first diamond electrode and the second electrode are disposed in a single diamond substrate. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first electrode comprises a working electrode and the second electrode comprises a reference electrode. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising contacting a third electrode with the substance. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the third electrode comprises a counter electrode. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the first, second and third electrodes comprise diamond doped electrodes and are disposed in a single diamond substrate. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the acoustic energy generated by the high power acoustic resonator is used to provide for cleaning of the first and second electrodes. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of using the high power acoustic resonator to generate acoustic energy comprises longitudinally oscillating the acoustic horn. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes comprise diamond doped with an n-type or p-type dopant. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes comprises boron-doped diamond. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second electrode are separated by electrically non-conducting diamond. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second electrode comprise a macroscopic array of electrically conducting diamond regions separated by electrically non-conducting diamond regions. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and the second electrode comprise a macroscopic array comprises a central disc of boron-doped diamond, a first plurality of concentric rings of electrically non-conducting diamond and a second concentric ring or plurality of concentric rings of boron-doped diamond. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 using the acoustic energy to mix the substance.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 taking electrical measurements from the first and second electrodes.   
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 taking electrical measurements from the first and second electrode while the acoustic energy is applied to the substance.