Wireless resonant sensor array for high-throughput screening of materials

Abstract

Screening of materials arrays for their viscoelastic, gas-sorbing, and dielectric properties is important in a wide variety of combinatorial materials science applications. Impedance analysis is an attractive approach to analyze these materials properties and to generate the required new knowledge. Often, these measurements are performed by applying a material onto a suitable sensor and monitoring the changes in materials properties. However, when such a sensor is positioned into a test cell, a direct-wired connection to the analyzer becomes complicated. These complications further increase dramatically when a whole array of sensors is being tested in the test cell. To eliminate these complications, we developed a wireless proximity resonant sensor array system. In the developed system, tested materials are applied onto an array of thickness-shear mode (TSM) resonators operating at 10 MHz and arranged for performance testing in a test chamber. Each TSM resonator is coupled to a receiver coil (antenna). An array of these coils is read with a single scanning transmitter coil or an array of transmitter coils. This high-throughput screening approach of sensing materials permits their evaluation in complex environments where additional wiring is not desirable or adds a prohibitively complex design. We demonstrated the applicability of the wireless sensor materials screening approach for the rapid evaluation of the effects of conditioning of polymeric sensing films at different temperatures on the vapor-response patterns to several vapors of industrial, health, law enforcement, and security interest (ethanol, acetonitrile, and water vapors).