Patent ID: 7459066

Claim:
A method of manufacturing a flowing junction reference electrode, the method comprising: providing a chamber for receiving a reference electrolyte solution, wherein the chamber is configured to allow pressurization of the electrolyte solution; and providing a liquid junction member having N discrete nanochannels, the nanochannels having diameters D and lengths L, wherein the nanochannels are substantially straight and substantially parallel to one another, wherein N is less than approximately 100,000, and wherein the member is in fluid communication with the electrolyte solution; filling said chamber with said reference electrolyte solution, said reference electrolyte solution having a viscosity η; pressurizing the electrolyte solution to a pressure P E ; configuring the reference electrode such that the liquid junction member can be brought into fluid communication with a sample solution such that the junction member is situated between the electrolyte solution and the sample solution; and selecting ΔP, D,η, and L such that D 2 ⁢ Δ ⁢ ⁢ P 32 ⁢ ⁢ η ⁢ ⁢ L is greater than about 0.1 centimeter per second, wherein ΔP is a pressure differential between P E and a pressure P S of the sample solution, and wherein ΔP is greater than approximately 10 psi and less than approximately 100 psi.