%0 Journal Article
%T Non-obvious Problems in Clark Electrode Application at Elevated Temperature and Ways of Their Elimination
%A M. V. Miniaev
%A M. B. Belyakova
%A N. V. Kostiuk
%A D. V. Leshchenko
%A T. A. Fedotova
%J Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/249752
%X Well-known cause of frequent failures of closed oxygen sensors is the appearance of gas bubbles in the electrolyte. The problem is traditionally associated with insufficient sealing of the sensor that is not always true. Study of a typical temperature regime of measurement system based on Clark sensor showed that spontaneous release of the gas phase is a natural effect caused by periodic warming of the sensor to a temperature of the test liquid. The warming of the sensor together with the incubation medium causes oversaturation of electrolyte by dissolved gases and the allocation of gas bubbles. The lower rate of sensor heating in comparison with the medium reduces but does not eliminate the manifestation of this effect. It is experimentally established, that with each cycle of heating of measuring system up to 37¡ãC followed by cooling the volume of gas phase in the electrolyte (KCl; 60£¿g/L; 400£¿¦ÌL) increased by 0.6£¿¦ÌL approximately. Thus, during just several cycles it can dramatically degrade the characteristics of the sensor. A method was developed in which the oxygen sensor is heated in contact with the liquid, (depleted of dissolved gases), allowing complete exclusion of the above-mentioned effect. 1. Introduction Closed polarographic oxygen sensors (Clark electrodes and its varieties) are convenient and still the most widely used tools for measuring of oxygen consumption in various biochemical studies [1¨C4]. However, users of Clark electrode are often forced to face a number of problems, the causes of which are not obvious. Usually these are instability of readings, uniform signal drift, changes in sensor response time, formation of gas bubbles in electrolyte, and so forth. Unfortunately, these issues are not adequately addressed in the literature, as the results of failed measurements are not published, and the deviations are traditionally explained by damage of the membrane [5]. This greatly complicates the analysis of causes and, consequently, improvement of equipment and methods of measurement. These problems are considerably aggravated when Clark electrode is applied for measurements in the heated solutions, even using an electronic temperature compensation [6]. For example, investigators of the current experiment found that after heating the incubation medium up to operating temperature (37¡ãC) and saturating it by atmospheric oxygen, the results obtained during the first hour of work always significantly differed from the following ones. After several days of recurrent work at elevated temperature, the sensor showed a progressive decrease in
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jamc/2013/249752/