Capacitive solvent sensing with interdigitated microelectrodes

Abstract

We were able to quantify dielectric properties of solvents such as DI water, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone using interdigitated microelectrodes (IMEs). IMEs were fabricated using conventional micro fabrication techniques. The fabricated IMEs were dipped into the solution, and the dielectric property of the medium was measured. A range of frequencies and excitation voltages were swept in order to determine the operation region that yields the highest signal to noise ratio. Measurements were performed at 1 MHz and 100 mV which resulted in best signal to noise ratio. We applied a simple analytical model for the calculation of the capacitance and measured the capacitance value using a simple parallel capacitor and resistor model which resulted in perfect agreement with theoretical results. The presented sensor provides a simple and accurate method to determine solvent type which may have possible future applications.