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Abstract

Optical sensor formulations comprising polymeric sensing formulations and methods of predictably making optical sensor formulations, for, e.g., measuring O.sub.2 levels in patient blood samples. These formulations may be, e.g., deposited as a membrane on light-transmissive substrates. In an embodiment, O.sub.2 -sensing formulations may be made by a process including selecting a first homopolymer comprised of first monomeric units, the first homopolymer having a first Perm.sub.O2 value; selecting a second homopolymer comprised of second monomeric units, the second homopolymer having a second Perm.sub.O2 value that is different from the first Perm.sub.O2 value; and copolymerizing the first and second monomeric units to obtain a copolymer having an intermediate Perm.sub.O2 value, i.e., between the two Perm.sub.O2 values, the intermediate Perm.sub.O2 providing the desired Perm.sub.O2 for the desired oxygen sensing formulation. By adjusting the relative amounts of the first and second monomeric units, a series of polymers having a desired range of intermediate permeability values (and hence Stem-Volmer characteristic k.sub.SV values) may be obtained.

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First Claim