Oxygen Microsensors
Sensor tip thinner than a hair (< 50 µm) Integrate & measure on-the-spot
- Profiling of biofilms and sediments
- Insertion in plant and animal tissue
- Micro-respiration systems
- Micro-invasive measurement in packages
Needle-type oxygen microsensors are miniaturized chemical optical oxygen sensors designed for all research and packaging applications where a small tip size (< 50 µm) and fast response time (t90 < 1s) are necessary. The optical oxygen microsensors are based on a 140 µm silica fiber and are available with two different sensor tip diameters, a < 50 µm tapered tip and a 140 µm flat-broken tip. The oxygen microsensors are mounted in different housings (needle-type housing, implantable) and offer a unique research tool for investigating systems where micro-invasive, small and robust sensors are needed.
Features
- High spatial resolution (< 50 µm)
- High temporal resolution (t90 < 1s)
- Measurement range from 1 ppb up to 22.5 ppm dissolved oxygen
- No consumption of oxygen
- Signal independent of flow velocity
- Measures oxygen in liquids as well as in gas phase
Selected Probes
Needle-Type Oxygen Microsensors
Needle-type oxygen microsensors are perfectly suited for measuring oxygen distribution profiles in sediment and biofilms with a high spatial resolution of less than 50 µm. The oxygen-sensitive tip of an optical fiber is protected inside a stainless steel needle. This design is optimal for easy penetration of tissue, septum rubber or packaging materials. After penetration the sensor tip is extended for measurement.
Implantable Oxygen Microsensor
Implantable probes are the miniaturized fiber optic oxygen sensors designed for various customized applications. The tiny probe has a tip size of < 50 µm (TS) to 140 µm (TF) while the outer diameter ranges from 140 µm to 900 µm.
The microsensor tip is not mounted in any additional housing. The bare glass fiber tip can be mounted to your own housings, steel tubes and micro respirometer chambers etc. The small outer diameter even allows insertion into implantable Venlon-tubes. Moreover the microsensor can be deployed in sealed containers to measure the oxygen content directly.
The Smart Measurement Method
The light from the blue LED excites the sensor spot to emit fluorescence. If the sensor tip encounters an oxygen molecule, the excess energy is transferred to the oxygen molecule in a non-radiative transfer, decreasing or quenching the fluorescence signal. The degree of quenching correlates to the partial pressure of oxygen in the matrix, which is in dynamic equilibrium with oxygen in the sample. The decay time measurement is internally referenced.
Examples for Applications
Oxygen Concentration of Small Headspace Packages
The determination of the oxygen content within packages or pharmaceutical vials is of essential importance to ensure both the filling quality and the long-term storage stability. With our micro-invasive needle-type oxygen microsensors we offer a simple tool to determine both the headspace and dissolved oxygen. The septum of the vial or package is pierced with the needle and the sensor is extended for measurement. As the measurement is made inside the package no error-prone sampling is necessary.
Tissue Engineering
Oxygen microsensors measure the oxygen content in various volume compartments of the tissue engineering constructs. To do so, hair-thin sensors are inserted into the constructs and the oxygen content is measured online. In this way, the oxygen partial pressure is measured with a high local resolution and correlated with the constructs tissue quality (composition of the extracellular matrix).
Profiling: Profile Measurements in Sediment and Tissue
Due to the extraordinary high local resolution (< 50 µm) our oxygen microsensors are ideally suited for recording microprofiles e.g. in sea-floor sediments, biofilms, plant physiology and human physiology. On the left you see oxygen profiles of a marine sediment populated with photosynthetically active microorganisms, measured in dark (closed symbols) and under strong illumination (open symbols). The measurement was performed simultaneously with an optical oxygen microsensor (blue) and a Clark-type micro-electrode (yellow). Both sensing tips have a distance of approx. 50 µm.
Transmitters & Accessories
Microx TX3 & Microx TX3 trace
Micro fiber optic oxygen transmitter for use with oxygen microsensors.
OXY-10 micro
10-channel micro fiber optic oxygen transmitter for use with oxygen microsensors.
OXY-4 micro
4-channel micro fiber optic oxygen transmitter for use with oxygen microsensors.
LP-1 Control Panel
The control panel is a device for controlling single-channel oxygen transmitters.
Micromanipulators
Exact and secure positioning of fiber optic microsensors in μm steps.
Brochures incl. Tech. Data
FAQs
- How does an oxygen sensor work?
- How do I verify whether the sensor is giving correct readings?
- Which substances can interfere with the measurement?
- Do the sensors work in turbid solutions?
- Can I measure inside a tissue?
- The Stern-Volmer-equation
- How can I prepare the calibration solutions cal0 and cal100?
- What factors will affect the oxygen reading?
- What is the difference between tapered and flat-broken sensor tips?
- How do I measure the oxygen content in small headspace packages with a needle-type oxygen microsensor?
- How do I use the oxygen microsensor for measurement in ice?
- Can I integrate an oxygen microsensor into a catheter?
- How does salinity affect the measurement?
- How does temperature affect the oxygen measurement?
- How can I convert an oxygen value into a different oxygen unit?
- I can see that about 1 mm of the tapered sensor tip of an oxygen microsensor is coated with material. Is all of this coating sensitive to oxygen and where exactly do I measure?
Software
- Microx TX3 for PSt1 version 6.02 - Windows XP/Vista/7
- Microx TX3 trace for PSt1/TOS7 version 5.34 - Windows XP/7
- OXY-4 micro version 2.30TX - Windows XP/7
- OXY-10 micro version 3.33TX - Windows XP/7
- USB Serial Driver - Windows XP/Vista
Tools & Utilities
Application Notes
- Hypoxic Preconditioning of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Restoring the Differentiation Potential of hMSCs under Hypoxic Conditions
- Hypoxia in Static and Dynamic 3D Culture Systems: Oxygen Gradient Measurements in 3D Culture Systems Designed for Bone Tissue Engineering
- New mL-Scale Bioreactor for the Cultivation of Mycelium Forming Microorganisms: Determination of the Volumetric Oxygen Transfer Coefficient (kLa)
- Hydrogels as Cell Carriers for Tissue Engineering: Calcium Peroxide Used as an Oxygen Releasing Additive
Recent Scientific Publications
- Methodology and Significance of Microsensor-based Oxygen Mapping in Plant Seeds - an Overview
- Maintaining network activityin submerged hippocampal slices: importance of oxygen supply
- Role of hypoxia in obesity-induced disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue
- Differences in rhizome aeration of Phragmites australis in a constructed wetland
- Online oxygen measurements in ex vivo perfused muscle tissue in a porcine model using dynamic quenching methods
- Regulation of gas exchange and haemolymph pH in the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea
- Neutralization by Metal Ions of the Toxicity of Sodium Selenide


