A method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a measuring cell comprising a tube having a first end capped by a membrane of an ion-selective material, comprising the steps of: providing a paste comprising all constituents of the ion-selective material; mounting the tube onto a stick with a tip such that the stick extends through the tube; dispensing an amount of the paste onto the tip; heating the first end of the tube and the dispensed paste to a temperature causing the dispensed paste to melt and the thus-produced melt to form a film covering the tip and an end surface of the first end of the tube; transforming the film into the membrane joined to the tube by cooling the first end of the tube and the film to a temperature below a melting point of the ion-selective material; and separating the thus-manufactured measuring cell from the stick.

A method of and an apparatus for manufacturing a measuring cell comprising a tube having a first end capped by a membrane of an ion-selective material, comprising the steps of: providing a paste comprising all constituents of the ion-selective material; mounting the tube onto a stick with a tip such that the stick extends through the tube; dispensing an amount of the paste onto the tip; heating the first end of the tube and the dispensed paste to a temperature causing the dispensed paste to melt and the thus-produced melt to form a film covering the tip and an end surface of the first end of the tube; transforming the film into the membrane joined to the tube by cooling the first end of the tube and the film to a temperature below a melting point of the ion-selective material; and separating the thus-manufactured measuring cell from the stick.

A method for producing a polymer membrane for the potentiometric detection of an analyte, the method comprising the following successive steps: providing a formulation comprising a dissolved polymer, an ion exchanger, an ionophore, optionally a plasticiser, and a solvent selected from glycol ethers and acetates thereof, and glycol diacetates, depositing the formulation on a support, for example a transducer, and evaporating the solvent, so as to form a polymer membrane.

An electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) microfluidic device comprises at least one integrated electrochemical sensor, the electrochemical sensor comprising: a reference electrode; a sensing electrode; and an analyte-selective layer positioned over the sensing electrode. In some embodiments, the electrochemical sensor measures a concentration of an analyte in a fluid sample exposed to the electrochemical sensor based on a potential difference between the reference electrode and the sensing electrode. The first analyte and the second analyte can be selected from a group consisting of K.sup.+, Na.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, Cl.sup.−, HCO.sub.3.sup.−, Mg.sup.2+, H.sup.+, Ba.sup.2+, Pb.sup.2+, Cu.sup.2+, I.sup.−, NH4.sup.+, (SO4).sup.2−.

An electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) microfluidic device comprises at least one integrated electrochemical sensor, the electrochemical sensor comprising: a reference electrode; a sensing electrode; and an analyte-selective layer positioned over the sensing electrode. In some embodiments, the electrochemical sensor measures a concentration of an analyte in a fluid sample exposed to the electrochemical sensor based on a potential difference between the reference electrode and the sensing electrode. The first analyte and the second analyte can be selected from a group consisting of K.sup.+, Na.sup.+, Ca.sup.2+, Cl.sup.−, HCO.sub.3.sup.−, Mg.sup.2+, H.sup.+, Ba.sup.2+, Pb.sup.2+, Cu.sup.2+, I.sup.−, NH4.sup.+, (SO4).sup.2−.

A half cell for an electrochemical sensor includes: a housing having a chamber, wherein the chamber includes an electrolyte; an electrically conductive lead in contact with the electrolyte; and a closure element connecting the lead to the housing, wherein the lead has a coating, and the coating includes molecules including a first functional group, which enables the molecule to interact chemically with the lead, and a second functional group different from the first functional group, which enables the molecule to interact chemically with the closure element, wherein a first portion of the molecules with the first functional group are in an intermolecular connection with the lead and the first portion of the molecules and/or a second portion of the molecules with the second functional group are in an intermolecular connection with the closure element.

A half cell for an electrochemical sensor includes: a housing having a chamber, wherein the chamber includes an electrolyte; an electrically conductive lead in contact with the electrolyte; and a closure element connecting the lead to the housing, wherein the lead has a coating, and the coating includes molecules including a first functional group, which enables the molecule to interact chemically with the lead, and a second functional group different from the first functional group, which enables the molecule to interact chemically with the closure element, wherein a first portion of the molecules with the first functional group are in an intermolecular connection with the lead and the first portion of the molecules and/or a second portion of the molecules with the second functional group are in an intermolecular connection with the closure element.

A method of manufacturing membranes consisting essentially of an ion-selective material is disclosed. The method comprises: providing a spreadable base material; dispensing a quantity of the base material onto a top side of a tray, wherein the top side includes a set of coplanar flat surface segments, each having a surface area corresponding to a disc area of one of the membranes to be manufactured, and wherein at least the top side of the tray consists essentially of a non-adhesive material; distributing the dispensed base material across the top side of the tray such that a thickness of the distributed base material covering the coplanar surface segments corresponds to a predetermined thickness; transforming the thus-distributed base material into ion-selective material comprising one or more coplanar sheets covering the coplanar surface segments; and removing individual membranes from the tray, each defining a disc-shaped section of the ion-selective material.

A method of manufacturing membranes consisting essentially of an ion-selective material is disclosed. The method comprises: providing a spreadable base material; dispensing a quantity of the base material onto a top side of a tray, wherein the top side includes a set of coplanar flat surface segments, each having a surface area corresponding to a disc area of one of the membranes to be manufactured, and wherein at least the top side of the tray consists essentially of a non-adhesive material; distributing the dispensed base material across the top side of the tray such that a thickness of the distributed base material covering the coplanar surface segments corresponds to a predetermined thickness; transforming the thus-distributed base material into ion-selective material comprising one or more coplanar sheets covering the coplanar surface segments; and removing individual membranes from the tray, each defining a disc-shaped section of the ion-selective material.

An analysis device measures ion concentration in a sample to detect an abnormality using an ion selective electrode. The analysis device includes an ion selective electrode that obtains a potential based on the ion concentration, a reference electrode that obtains a potential based on a reference liquid, a measurement unit that measures an electromotive force between the ion selective electrode and the reference electrode, an analyzer that analyzes a potential change of the electromotive force in a certain time region, and a storage that stores abnormality analysis data indicating a relation between the potential change and an abnormality of the analysis device. The analyzer acquires a parameter for the potential change of the electromotive force measured by the measurement unit, and analyzes the abnormality of the analysis device based on the parameter and the abnormality analysis data stored in the storage.