Micro-electrochemical DO sensor with ultra-micropore matrix fabricated with femtosecond laser processing successfully applied in on-line DO monitoring for yeast culture.

Abstract

Accurate monitoring of dissolved oxygen (DO) is vital for aerobic fermentation process control. This work presents an autoclavable Micro-Dissolved oxygen Sensor (MDS) that can monitor real time DO. The proposed sensor is much cheaper to be manufactured (< $35) and can be adapted to varying measurement environments. An ultra-micropore matrix was created using femtosecond laser processing technology to reduce flow dependency of probe signals. The validity of the proposed DO sensor was verified by testing it under different DO levels. The result revealed consistency between the new designed sensor and a commercial DO sensor. The obtained sensitivity was-7.93 μA·L·mg-1 (MDS with ultra-micropore matrix). Moreover, the MDS can function without an oxygen-permeable membrane and a solid electrolyte was used which reduced the response time (4.6s). For real-time monitoring, the stability of the MDS was validated during a yeast batch fermentation carried out until 18h.