Patent ID: 8496795

Claim:
An electrochemical gas sensor comprising: a housing defining an electrolyte space having an opening; an electrolyte located in said electrolyte space of said housing, said electrolyte comprising a flowable electrolyte solution; a gas-permeable membrane formed of a hydrophobic material and closing said opening, said gas-permeable membrane having an electrolyte facing side; a gas-permeable and conductive carrier layer with a side facing said gas-permeable membrane, said conductive carrier layer being applied as a layer on said electrolyte facing side of said gas-permeable membrane, said conductive carrier layer having an electrolyte facing side, opposite to said side facing said gas-permeable membrane, forming a carrier contact surface, said carrier contact surface being exposed to environmental gas outside of said housing via said opening, via said gas-permeable membrane and via said gas-permeable and conductive carrier layer; a drain wire extending trough said housing, said drain wire being electrically connected to said conductive carrier layer so as to not come into connection with said electrolyte in the electrolyte space; a plurality of electrodes in contact with said electrolyte, said electrodes including a measuring electrode applied to said carrier contact surface of said conductive carrier layer, said measuring electrode having an electrode contact surface that is in electrical contact with said carrier contact surface of said conductive carrier layer and said measuring electrode being electrically connected to said drain wire via said conductive carrier layer, said electrode contact surface of said measuring electrode being small compared to said carrier contact surface of said conductive carrier layer surrounding said electrode contact surface, said electrode contact surface being on the order of magnitude of about one square millimeter and an electrochemical potential difference of a reaction between said carrier layer and said measuring electrode differing by at least 20 mV, wherein said carrier layer consists essentially of one or more of a metal, a conductive polymer, a carbon material and diamond like carbon.