Electrode-based electrical resistivity sensor

A rather simple sensor design is based on a sensitive layer placed between two electrodes of metallic conductance (Fig. 5.7). The question whether the device is a resistive or a capacitive sensor cannot be answered a priori. First, the geometry must be considered. Resistive sensors have a larger ratio of electrode surface to receptor layer volume than capacitive sensors. Capacitive receptor layers may eventually have an infinite value of electric resistance. A measurable change in capacity is achieved by interaction of the dielectric with sample components. If the dielectric coefficient changes its value, then the capacity also changes. 

Yoon et al. [48] proposed a liquid junction free polymer membrane-based reference electrode system for blood analysis under flowing conditions. They used silicmi wafers as well as ceramic substrate to fabricate ion selective sensors with an integrated reference electrode. The silver chloride layer was coated with a membrane based on aromatic polyurethane (PU 40 membrane) with equimolar amounts of both cathodic and anodic lipophilic additives (TDMACl and KTpCIPB) to reduce the electrical resistance (see Chaps. 12 and 13). The ceramic-based sensors were fabricated by screen-printing methods. Both reference electrodes showed a rather stable potential in various electrolyte solutions with different pH values and different concentrations of clinically relevant ions, providing that the ionic strength of the solution is over 0.01 M. The integrated ISE cartridge based on the ceramic chip could be used continuously for a week. 

One current-based approach is referred to as impedancemetric sensing [32]. This is based on impedance spectroscopy, in which a cyclic voltage is applied to the electrode and an analysis of the resultant electrical current is used to determine the electrode impedance. As different processes have different characteristic frequencies, impedance spectroscopy can be used to identify and separate contributions from different processes, such as electron transfer at the interface from solid-state electronic conduction. The frequency range ofthe applied voltage in impedancemetric sensors is selected so that the measured impedance is related to the electrode reaction, rather than to transport in the electrode or electrolyte material. Thus, the response is different from that in resistance-based sensors, which are related to changes in the electrical conductivity of a semiconducting material in response to changes in the gas composition. 

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