Evaluation of methods to minimize effects of liquid viscosity and density on the oscillating frequencies of thickness-shear-mode (TSM) piezoelectric resonators

Two common methods used to minimize the effects of liquid parameters (density, viscosity) on mass sensing by thickness-shear-mode (TSM) resonators or quartz crystal microbalance are evaluated. Measurements in the same solution cannot eliminate errors caused by frequency shifts due to liquid parameters when a piezoelectric quartz crystal is used to sense mass changes. The errors are suspected to be related to the changes in surface microstructure and can be minimized by using solutions with smaller values of densities and viscosities.