A field-effect based capacitive EIS (electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor) sensor with a p-Si-SiO 2 -Ta 2 O 5 structure has been successfully integrated into a commercial FIA (flow-injection analysis) system and system performances have been proven and optimised for pH and penicillin detection. A flow-through cell was designed taking into account the requirement of a variable internal volume (from 12 µl up to 48 µl) as well as an easy replacement of the EIS sensor. FIA parameters (sample volume, flow rate, distance between the injection valve and the EIS sensor) have been optimised in terms of high sensitivity and reproducibility as well as a minimum dispersion of the injected sample zone. An acceptable compromise between different FIA parameters has been found. For the cell design used in this study, best results have been achieved with a flow rate of 1.4 ml/min, distance between the injection valve and the EIS sensor of 6.5 cm, probe volume of 0.75 ml, cell internal volume of 12 µl. A sample throughput of at least 15 samples/h was typically obtained.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.