Fluid-containing pouches with reduced gas exchange and methods for making same

1. A fluid-containing pouch, comprising:

first and second opposing sheets having a substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal having a single layer metal-to-metal melted bond, wherein the first sheet includes a first foil layer and the second sheet includes a second foil layer;

a fluid disposed between the first and second opposing sheets, wherein at least a portion of the substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal has a seal width less than about 4 mm, and wherein the pouch yields a Pouch Integrity Test ΔpCO 2 value of less than about 10 mm Hg.

2. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the single layer metal-to-metal melted bond is formed by laser welding, ultra-sonic welding, or metal-to-metal welding.

3. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , further comprising an inner sealed plastic enclosure containing the fluid.

4. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 3 , wherein the inner sealed plastic enclosure comprises first and second opposing plastic layers.

5. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 4 , wherein the first and second plastic layers comprise a material selected from the group consisting of Primacor, polyvinyl chloride, polytethylene and lacquer based on nitrocellulose, urea and acrylic resins.

6. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 4 , wherein the first and second plastic layers are substantially rectangular and have respective areas in the range of from about 0.5 cm 2 to about 20 cm 2 .

7. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the perimeter seal has a perimeter width of about 2 mm.

8. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the perimeter seal has a perimeter length of from about 1 cm to about 20 cm.

9. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a calibrant fluid containing a known concentration of one or more analytes.

10. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a reactant fluid.

11. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a wash fluid.

12. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sheets comprise a metallic foil selected from the group consisting of aluminum foil, copper foil and brass foil.

13. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 1 , wherein the perimeter seal includes one or more crimped regions.

14. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 13 , wherein the one or more crimped regions comprise multiple concentric crimping rings.

15. A fluid-containing pouch, comprising:

first and second opposing sheets having a substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal region having a single layer metal-to-metal melted bond formed by laser welding, wherein the first sheet includes a first foil layer and a first plastic layer and the second sheet includes a second foil layer and a second plastic layer; and

a fluid disposed between the first and second opposing sheets, wherein at least a portion of the substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal has a seal width less than about 4 mm, and wherein the pouch yields a Pouch Integrity Test ΔpCO 2 value of less than about 10 mm Hg.

16. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 15 , further comprising an interior plastic bead formed between the first plastic layer and the second plastic layer.

17. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 15 , wherein the single layer metal-to-metal melted bond is formed by melting the first foil layer and the second foil layer together.

18. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 15 , wherein the first plastic layer and the second plastic layer are substantially removed from the substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal region by the laser welding.

19. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 15 , wherein the liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal region further comprises a third plastic layer disposed between the first and second foils and having an average thickness less than the combined thickness of the first and second plastic layers.

20. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 15 , wherein the substantially liquid and gas impermeable perimeter seal region further comprises an undulating pattern formed by crimping the seal region.

21. The fluid-containing pouch of claim 20 , wherein in the undulating pattern comprises a plurality of bends.

22. A method for forming a fluid-containing pouch, comprising the steps of:

(a) depositing a fluid on a first sheet;

(b) positioning a second sheet opposite the first sheet; and

(c) sealing the opposing first and second sheets to one another and forming a sealed region having the fluid contained therebetween, wherein the sealed region is substantially liquid and gas impermeable, wherein the sealed region comprises a sealed perimeter region, and wherein the first sheet includes a first foil layer and a first plastic layer, and the second sheet includes a second foil layer and a second plastic layer, and wherein the step of sealing comprises

(i) forming an interior plastic seal bead by melting the first and second plastic layer together to substantially prevents a calibrant liquid from contacting either of or both of the first and second foil layers and

(ii) forming a single layer metal-to-metal melted bond by melting the first foil layer and the second foil layer.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the pouch yields a Pouch Integrity Test ΔpCO 2 value of less than 10 mm Hg.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the single layer metal-to metal melted bond is formed by ultra-sonic welding, laser welding, or metal-to-metal welding.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the first plastic layer and the second plastic layer comprise lacquer layer.

26. The method of claim 22 , further comprises forming a cavity in the first sheet, and depositing the fluid in the cavity.