A formalism is presented which predicts the influence of laterally heterogeneous slip (for instance, induced by nanoscopic air bubbles) on the shift of the resonance frequency and bandwidth of quartz crystal resonators immersed in liquids. The lateral heterogeneities are decomposed into their Fourier components. The distribution of slip lengths provides a boundary condition, giving rise to a small, secondary flow field. The mean stress exerted by this secondary field induces a shift in resonance frequency and bandwidth. If the slip length is much smaller than the penetration depth of the shear waves and smaller than the lateral correlation length, one finds that the effects of the heterogeneities scale as n(3/2), with n being the overtone order. The frequency, f, and half-band-half-width, Gamma, decrease by the same amount. These calculations match experimental results obtained with a gold-coated resonator in contact with various hydrophilic liquids.

We report on a concept for vapor sensing with the quartz crystal microbalance where the vapor phase is absorbed into small droplets of an ionic liquid. The liquid is contained in the pores of a nanoporous alumina layer, created on the front electrode of the quartz crystal by anodization. Ionic liquids are attractive for vapor sensing because--being liquids--they equilibrate very fast, while at the same time having negligible vapor pressure. Containing the ionic liquids inside cylindrical cavities of a solid matrix removes all problems related to the liquid's softness as well as the possibility of dewetting and flow. The absence of viscoelastic effects is evidenced by the fact that the bandwidth of the resonance remains unchanged during the uptake of solvent vapor. The Henry constants for a number of solvents have been measured.

Quartz-crystal resonators were coated with a layer of alumina nanopores in order to allow for simultaneous measurement of density and viscosity of a liquid. Whereas the motion of the liquid contained in the pores is locked to the movement of the crystal, the liquid located above the surface experiences internal shear. The latter portion of the liquid dissipates energy, thereby increasing the bandwidth of the resonance. Based on the increase in bandwidth, viscous loading and mass loading can be distinguished, allowing for an independent determination of the density and the viscosity of Newtonian liquids.