A novel open flow microflow sensor for reduced fouling of chemical sensors in physiological sampling environments

A method of reducing fouling/biofouling on the active surface of sensors in unclean environments is presented. The technique depends on differences in the diffusion coefficients of the analytes and foulants. Details of the fabrication and testing are given. Results of experiments with a micromachined flow cell are presented and contrasted with those of a computational fluid dynamics model. Modelling shows effective repulsion of foulants and predicts a signal strength consistent with experimental results.