Resonant sensors: new principles and perspectives for (bio) chemical applications

Abstract

New sensor principles based on the resonant effect are introduced. Lateral field excitation (LFE) of the well-known quartz crystal microbalance leaves the sensing surface free of a metallic electrode. On the one hand it gives access to a large variety of silane based surface chemistry for achieving chemical sensitivity. On the other hand the electrical field penetrates into the adjacent substance allowing the determination of electrical properties of liquids. A second concept with the same advantages applies magnetic excitation. Here, piezoelectric materials are not required. Si membranes can serve as high-Q resonators. Capacitively driven micromechanical ultrasonic transducers consisting of a large number of resonators can serve as platform for sensor arrays. Finally, propagation of ultrasonic waves at specific frequencies inside the band gap of phononic crystals is a phenomenon about to be discovered for sensing purposes. The perspectives of these principles with regard to chemical and biosensors are discussed.

Fano resonance based defected 1D phononic crystal for highly sensitive gas sensing applications

“…Furthermore, Mehaney et al theoretically demonstrated a CO 2 gas sensor based on a 1D porous silicon PC sandwiched between two thin rubber layers to measure CO 2 pollutions in the surrounding air 42 . Moreover, the PC plays a significant role in the field of smart sensors such as liquid sensor 43 – 47 , acoustic biosensor 48 , 49 , chemical sensor 43 , 44 , bio-chemical sensor 50 , acoustic wave-guide 33 , and biodiesel sensor 51 , 52 have been introduced before.…”

Differential Phononic Crystal Sensor: Towards a Temperature Compensation Mechanism for Field Applications Development

“…There are many groups currently working on PnC sensors and some of the most interesting applications of this new technology are the measurement of the concentration of analytes in complex mixtures or the conversion rate in micro-reactors. Other interesting applications are the performance of point of care testing due to the portability of the technology [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”