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Principles of Chemical Sensors pp 63–98Cite as

Mass Sensors

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Abstract

Change of mass accompanies many interactions of the chemical species with the sensor. Not surprisingly, mass sensors represent an important segment of the chemical sensing field. From the measurement point of view, the determination of mass is called gravimetry. Although scales and balances are standard equipment in any chemical laboratory, they are not usually thought of as sensors. On the other hand, when we talk about microbalances and microgravimetry (Lu and Czaderna, 1984), we regard them as sensors. The transduction principle is the detection of the change of mass through the changes in behavior of some oscillator. Because of their small size, high sensitivity, and stability, piezoelectric crystals have been used asmicrobalances, namely in the determination of the thicknesses of thin layers and in general gas sorption studies (King, 1964). At the beginning of their development, mass sensors were synonymous with the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM).

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Notes

  1. 1.

     “Quality factor” (Q-factor) compares the frequency of oscillation to the rate of dissipation of energy of the oscillating system. Higher Q indicates less energy dissipation, relative to the oscillating frequency.

  2. 2.

    Ho (1984).

Abbreviations

\(\Delta A_{v}\) :

Attenuated amplitude

B :

Susceptance

\(C_{\rm gas}\) :

Concentration of a gas

C :

Capacitance

\(C_{\rm q}\) :

Crystal constant

\(D_{\rm crit}\) :

Optimum diameter

E :

Young's modulus

\(E_{\rm c}\) :

Collection efficiency

F :

Linear frequency; linear frequency

\(F_{\rm f}\) :

Resonant frequency of the crystal with material deposited on it

G :

Conductance

H :

Transfer function

I :

(or i) Current

j :

Standard notation for an imaginary number

k :

Material constant

K :

Spring constant

l :

Length

L :

Inductance

M :

Mass

\(n_{\rm c}\) :

Geometrically dependent correction factor

p :

Center-to-center finger spacing

P :

Gas pressure

R :

Resistance

\(R_{\rm n}\) :

Reynolds number; a fluid mechanics term. It is a dimensionless ratio of inertial and viscous properties of the fluid. It is a figure of merit for a given fluid.

S :

Sensitivity

t :

Thickness

v :

Shear velocity

V :

Voltage

w :

Width

Y :

Admittance

Z :

Acoustic impedances

δ:

Damping distance

\(\kappa_{\rm L}\) :

Kinematic viscosity

π:

Mathematical constant 3.1415

λ:

Wavelength

μ:

Shear modulus

ρ:

Density

η:

Viscosity

θ:

Phase angle

ϕ:

Phase shift

σ:

Stress

ω:

Angular frequency

\(\xi_{\rm P}\) :

Poisson ratio

\(\zeta\) :

Parameter defining the acoustic matching of a crystal and film material

\(\chi_{\Lambda}\) :

Lame constant

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 30332-0400, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Dr. Jiˇí Janata

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  1. Dr. Jiˇí Janata
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Janata, J. (2009). Mass Sensors. In: Principles of Chemical Sensors. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/b136378_4

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