Chemical sensors based on electrically sensitive quartz resonators

The sensitivity of a quartz resonant sensor to the change of liquid electrical properties can be significantly enhanced by modifying the electrode geometry of the sensor. Chemical sensors based on electrically sensitive quartz resonators can then be developed for applications where the liquid electrical properties, as well as the mechanical properties change. In the present study, a theoretical model for the electrically sensitive quartz resonant sensor is presented and it is shown that the previous models for liquid phase quartz sensors can be obtained from the present model as special cases. Examples of using the present sensor for monitoring ammonium in aquaria water and detecting liquid permittivity change have been presented.