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Dielectric Sensing-Based Systems and Applications

A topical collection in Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This collection belongs to the section "Physical Sensors".

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Editors


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Collection Editor
Department of Innovation Engineering (DII), University of Salento, Via Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Interests: fault detection; sensor technologies; measurement techniques; monitoring and measurement systems; testing and characterization components; systems and monitoring equipment
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Collection Editor
Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy
Interests: permittivity measurement; electrical and electronic instrumentation
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Collection Editor
Institute of Agrophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Doświadczalna 4, 20-290 Lublin, Poland
Interests: dielectric properties of soil; measurement of soil moisture and salinity; FDR; dielectric models; microwave measurement methods
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Dielectric properties are fundamental characteristics of materials and, as such, they are often used to describe the “fingerprint” of a material in various applicative contexts.

At the state-of-the-art, however, there is not a universal sensing system that can be used to measure the dielectric properties of materials. By contrast, the choice of the system depends on the nature of the material (e.g., liquid, granular, solid) and on the frequency range of the characterization. Additionally, the final accuracy of results and costs influence the suitability of dielectric measurement systems. As a result, the scientific community is still challenged by the need to investigate innovative dielectric measurement solutions that could offer a trade-off of cost, accuracy, and frequency range of analysis.

In addition to this, the importance of measuring dielectric properties goes beyond the characterization of a material; in fact, dielectric characteristics are often measured to infer other properties (not necessarily electric) of the system under test. For example, in the food industry, dielectric properties are important for assessing the quality or microwaveability of food. In forestry and soil science, dielectric measurements are used to evaluate the moisture content and water level in various metrials. In the industrial sector, dielectric measurements are used to infer several properties of materials and products.

Starting from these considerations, this Topical Collection is open to research and review contributions related to 1) innovative methods and systems for the characterization of dielectric properties of materials and 2) innovative sensing and monitoring systems that resort to measurement of dielectric properties to retrieve other information on the system under test.

The list of topics includes but is not limited to:

  • Enhancement of the accuracy of existing dielectric measurement systems;
  • Development and validation of innovate dielectric permittivity models;
  • Development of innovative sensing and monitoring systems based on dielectric measurements;
  • Development of innovative probes or sensing elements for measuring dielectric properties.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Cataldo
Prof. Dr. Emanuele Piuzzi
Dr. Agnieszka Szypłowska
Collection Editors

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Keywords

  • dielectric measurements
  • dielectric sensors
  • dielectric permittivity models
  • spectroscopy
  • dielectric characterization
  • permittivity
  • time/frequency domain reflectometry (TDR/FDR)
  • time/frequency domain transmissometry (TDT/FDT)

Published Papers (13 papers)

2023

Jump to: 2022, 2021, 2020

15 pages, 4682 KiB  
Article
Accurate Assessment of Moisture Content and Degree of Polymerization in Power Transformers via Dielectric Response Sensing
by Anantawat Kunakorn, Sarawuth Pramualsingha, Peerawut Yutthagowith, Phethai Nimsanong and Supat Kittiratsatcha
Sensors 2023, 23(19), 8236; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23198236 - 03 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 784
Abstract
Power transformers are essential apparatuses used to transfer electrical energy from one voltage-level circuit to another. For reliable systems, preventive maintenance of the transformers is required to ensure good services of all mechanical, electrical, and insulation parts. Oil-immersed paper is most often used [...] Read more.
Power transformers are essential apparatuses used to transfer electrical energy from one voltage-level circuit to another. For reliable systems, preventive maintenance of the transformers is required to ensure good services of all mechanical, electrical, and insulation parts. Oil-immersed paper is most often used for transformer insulation. To ensure such good insulation performance and for assessing insulation conditions, advanced transformer sensing, monitoring, and effective assessment techniques are required. This paper introduces an effective technique for assessing the insulation conditions in power transformers, which are crucial for ensuring reliable energy transfer. The method utilizes advanced transformer sensing and monitoring, focusing on oil-immersed paper insulation commonly used in transformers. The technique employs dielectric response sensing, obtained from frequency-domain spectroscopy tests, to estimate degrees of polymerization (DP) and percentages of moisture content (PMCs) in the oil-immersed paper insulation. These parameters are well-known indicators of insulation performance. The approach is based on the weighted k-nearest neighbor regression, using a database of dielectric loss factors at low frequency and oil conductivities. To overcome limited data availability, linear interpolation and extrapolation techniques are applied to enlarge the database. Experimental verification and comparison with a previously developed method demonstrate the proposed technique’s superiority in accuracy and complexity. The maximum deviations of DP and PMC in the validation cases are 6.2% and 18.7%, respectively. In addition, to evaluate the validity of our proposed method in the case of a real power transformer, a comparative analysis of the DP and PMC values determined by the proposed method with those obtained through a previously developed and complicated approach was performed. The predicted results indicate that the DP and PMC values of the oil-immersed insulation fall within the ranges of 800 to 1000 and 1.5 to 2.0, respectively, which agree with the results determined by the complicated approach and closely align with real conditions. By offering a reliable and advanced means of assessing insulation conditions, this technique contributes to the preventive maintenance and overall efficiency of power transformers. Full article
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18 pages, 3777 KiB  
Article
Broadband Measurements of Soil Complex Permittivity
by Justin Stellini, Lourdes Farrugia, Iman Farhat, Julian Bonello, Raffaele Persico, Anthony Sacco, Kyle Spiteri and Charles V. Sammut
Sensors 2023, 23(11), 5357; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23115357 - 05 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1394
Abstract
Agriculture is a major consumer of freshwater and is often associated with low water productivity. To prevent drought, farmers tend to over-irrigate, putting a strain on the ever-depleting groundwater resources. To improve modern agricultural techniques and conserve water, quick and accurate estimates of [...] Read more.
Agriculture is a major consumer of freshwater and is often associated with low water productivity. To prevent drought, farmers tend to over-irrigate, putting a strain on the ever-depleting groundwater resources. To improve modern agricultural techniques and conserve water, quick and accurate estimates of soil water content (SWC) should be made, and irrigation timed correctly in order to optimize crop yield and water use. In this study, soil samples common to the Maltese Islands having different clay, sand, and silt contents were, primarily, investigated to: (a) deduce whether the dielectric constant can be considered as a viable indicator of the SWC for the soils of Malta; (b) determine how soil compaction affects the dielectric constant measurements; and (c) to create calibration curves to directly relate the dielectric constant and the SWC for two different soil types of low and high density. The measurements, which were carried out in the X-band, were facilitated by an experimental setup comprising a two-port Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) connected to a rectangular waveguide system. From data analysis, it was found that for each soil investigated, the dielectric constant increases notably with an increase in both density and SWC. Our findings are expected to aid in future numerical analysis and simulations aimed at developing low-cost, minimally invasive Microwave (MW) systems for localized SWC sensing, and hence, in agricultural water conservation. However, it should be noted that a statistically significant relationship between soil texture and the dielectric constant could not be determined at this stage. Full article
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17 pages, 5010 KiB  
Article
Accurate Detection and Localization of Water Pipe Leaks through Model-Based TDR Inversion
by Marco Scarpetta, Andrea Cataldo, Maurizio Spadavecchia, Emanuele Piuzzi, Antonio Masciullo and Nicola Giaquinto
Sensors 2023, 23(2), 710; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s23020710 - 08 Jan 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2242
Abstract
The problem of water scarcity affects many areas of the world due to water mismanagement and overconsumption and, more recently, to climate change. Monitoring the integrity of distribution systems is, therefore, increasingly important to avoid the waste of clean water. This paper presents [...] Read more.
The problem of water scarcity affects many areas of the world due to water mismanagement and overconsumption and, more recently, to climate change. Monitoring the integrity of distribution systems is, therefore, increasingly important to avoid the waste of clean water. This paper presents a new signal processing technique for enhancing the performance of the methodology of leak detection in water distribution pipes based on time domain reflectometry (TDR). The new technique is based on a particular kind of TDR inversion (spatial TDR) based on a “gray-box” lumped parameter model of the system. The model does not include, e.g., radiative phenomena, non-TEM (transverse electromagnetic) modes etc. but is capable of reproducing accurately the complicated reflectograms obtained by a TDR leak detection system assuming a proper profile of capacitance per unit length along the sensing element. Even more importantly, the model is identified using only the reflectograms taken by the system with very little prior information about the system components. The developed technique is able to estimate with good accuracy, from reflectograms with unclear or ambiguous interpretation, the position and the extension of a region where water is located. The measurement is obtained without prior electromagnetic characterization of the TDR system components and without the need of modeling or quantifying a number of electromagnetic effects typical of on-site measurements. Full article
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2022

Jump to: 2023, 2021, 2020

13 pages, 3142 KiB  
Article
A Method for Extracting Debye Parameters as a Tool for Monitoring Watered and Contaminated Soils
by Andrea Cataldo, Iman Farhat, Lourdes Farrugia, Raffaele Persico and Raissa Schiavoni
Sensors 2022, 22(20), 7805; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22207805 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1336
Abstract
Soil monitoring is a key topic from several perspectives, such as moisture level control for irrigation management and anti-contamination purposes. Monitoring the latter is becoming even more important due to increasing environmental pollution. As a direct consequence, there is a strong demand for [...] Read more.
Soil monitoring is a key topic from several perspectives, such as moisture level control for irrigation management and anti-contamination purposes. Monitoring the latter is becoming even more important due to increasing environmental pollution. As a direct consequence, there is a strong demand for innovative monitoring systems that are low cost, provide for quasi-real time and in situ monitoring, high sensitivity, and adequate accuracy. Starting from these considerations, this paper addresses the implementation of a microwave reflectometry based-system utilizing a customized bifilar probe and a miniaturized Vector Network Analyzer (m-VNA). The main objective is to relate frequency-domain (FD) measurements to the features of interest, such as the water content and/or the percentage of some polluting substances, through an innovative automatable procedure to retrieve the Debye dielectric parameters of the soil under different conditions. The results from this study confirm the potential of microwave reflectometry for moisture monitoring and contamination detection. Full article
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19 pages, 4935 KiB  
Article
Ultra-Wide Band Double-Slot Podal and Antipodal Vivaldi Antennas Feed by Compact Out-Of-Phase Power Divider Slot for Fluid Properties Determination
by Jiwan Ghimire and Dong-You Choi
Sensors 2022, 22(12), 4543; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22124543 - 16 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2796
Abstract
In this paper, double slot podal and antipodal ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip antennas for a fluid property measurement system are proposed. Among different feeding techniques, out of phase uni-planner power divider approach is used. The performance verification of the proposed antenna is explained, along [...] Read more.
In this paper, double slot podal and antipodal ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip antennas for a fluid property measurement system are proposed. Among different feeding techniques, out of phase uni-planner power divider approach is used. The performance verification of the proposed antenna is explained, along with a performance comparison of the antenna bandwidth, feeding, and the realized gain. The suggested podal antenna has an impedance bandwidth from 2.4 to 15.4 GHz, with a maximum gain of 11.3 dBi in the 12 GHz region while the antipodal antenna has a 2.8 GHz to 16 GHz impedance bandwidth, with a maximum gain of 10.4 dBi in the 10 GHz region. Within the intended band, the radiation pattern had an excellent directivity characteristic. The implementation of the proposed antenna is calibrated by measuring the propagated signals response via various liquid specimens using UWB radar, which might be applied for fluid sensing and prediction purposes. The proposed antenna was connected to an NVA-R661 module of Xethru Inc. for measuring the sample delay and peak-to-peak amplitude of the received signals passing through specimens. The measured parameters at a different radar frequency range of transmission are applied by drawing the fluid viscous analogy based on Poiseuille’s law hypothesis, showing clear differentiation between the test specimens. Full article
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12 pages, 2127 KiB  
Article
Permittivity-Based Water Content Calibration Measurement in Wood-Based Cultural Heritage: A Preliminary Study
by Livio D’Alvia, Emanuele Piuzzi, Andrea Cataldo and Zaccaria Del Prete
Sensors 2022, 22(6), 2148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22062148 - 10 Mar 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 1814
Abstract
In this work, the dielectric permittivity of four kinds of wood (Fir, Poplar, Oak, and Beech Tree), used in Italian Artworks and structures, was characterized at different humidity levels. Measurements were carried out using three different probes connected to a bench vector network [...] Read more.
In this work, the dielectric permittivity of four kinds of wood (Fir, Poplar, Oak, and Beech Tree), used in Italian Artworks and structures, was characterized at different humidity levels. Measurements were carried out using three different probes connected to a bench vector network analyzer: a standard WR90 X-band waveguide, a WR430 waveguide, and an open-ended coaxial probe. In particular, we investigated the dispersion model for the four wood species, showing how a log-fit model of the open-ended data presents a determination coefficient R2 > 0.990 in the 1–12 GHz frequency range. This result has proven helpful to fill the frequency gap between the measurements obtained at different water contents with the two waveguide probes showing an R2 > 0.93. Furthermore, correlating the log-fit vertical shift with the water content, it was possible to find a calibration curve with a linear characteristic. These experimental results will be helpful for on-site non-invasive water monitoring of wooden artworks or structures. Moreover, the final results show how the open-ended coaxial probe, with a measurement deviation lower than 7% from the waveguide measurements, may be used directly as a non-invasive sensor for on-site measurements. Full article
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39 pages, 6376 KiB  
Review
Dielectric Measurement of Agricultural Grain Moisture—Theory and Applications
by Scott B. Jones, Wenyi Sheng and Dani Or
Sensors 2022, 22(6), 2083; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s22062083 - 08 Mar 2022
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3326
Abstract
Moisture content is a critical variable for the harvesting, processing, storing and marketing of cereal grains, oilseeds and legumes. Efficient and accurate determination of grain moisture content even with advanced nondestructive techniques, remains a challenge due to complex water-retaining biological structures and hierarchical [...] Read more.
Moisture content is a critical variable for the harvesting, processing, storing and marketing of cereal grains, oilseeds and legumes. Efficient and accurate determination of grain moisture content even with advanced nondestructive techniques, remains a challenge due to complex water-retaining biological structures and hierarchical composition and geometry of grains that affect measurement interpretation and require specific grain-dependent calibration. We review (1) the primary factors affecting permittivity measurements used in practice for inferring moisture content in grains; (2) develop novel methods for estimating critical parameters for permittivity modeling including packing density, porosity, water binding surface area and water phase permittivity and (3) represent the permittivity of packs of grains using dielectric mixture theory as a function of moisture content applied to high moisture corn (as a model grain). Grain permittivity measurements are affected by their free and bound water contents, chemical composition, temperature, constituent shape, phase configuration and measurement frequency. A large fraction of grain water is bound exhibiting reduced permittivity compared to that of free water. The reduced mixture permittivity and attributed to hydrophilic surfaces in starches, proteins and other high surface area grain constituents. The hierarchal grain structure (i.e., kernel, starch grain, lamella, molecule) and the different constituents influence permittivity measurements due to their layering, geometry (i.e., kernel or starch grain), configuration and water-binding surface area. Dielectric mixture theory offers a physically-based approach for modeling permittivity of agricultural grains and similar granular media. Full article
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2021

Jump to: 2023, 2022, 2020

18 pages, 37625 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Effects of Surface Roughness on Sensing Performance of Surface Plasmon Resonance Detection for Refractive Index Sensing Application
by Treesukon Treebupachatsakul, Siratchakrit Shinnakerdchoke and Suejit Pechprasarn
Sensors 2021, 21(18), 6164; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21186164 - 14 Sep 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2900
Abstract
This paper provides a theoretical framework to analyze and quantify roughness effects on sensing performance parameters of surface plasmon resonance measurements. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis and the Monte Carlo method were applied to compute plasmonic reflectance spectra for different surface roughness profiles. The rough [...] Read more.
This paper provides a theoretical framework to analyze and quantify roughness effects on sensing performance parameters of surface plasmon resonance measurements. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis and the Monte Carlo method were applied to compute plasmonic reflectance spectra for different surface roughness profiles. The rough surfaces were generated using the low pass frequency filtering method. Different coating and surface treatments and their reported root-mean-square roughness in the literature were extracted and investigated in this study to calculate the refractive index sensing performance parameters, including sensitivity, full width at half maximum, plasmonic dip intensity, plasmonic dip position, and figure of merit. Here, we propose a figure-of-merit equation considering optical intensity contrast and signal-to-noise ratio. The proposed figure-of-merit equation could predict a similar refractive index sensing performance compared to experimental results reported in the literature. The surface roughness height strongly affected all the performance parameters, resulting in a degraded figure of merit for surface plasmon resonance measurement. Full article
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17 pages, 6495 KiB  
Article
Combined Punctual and Diffused Monitoring of Concrete Structures Based on Dielectric Measurements
by Andrea Cataldo, Raissa Schiavoni, Antonio Masciullo, Giuseppe Cannazza, Francesco Micelli and Egidio De Benedetto
Sensors 2021, 21(14), 4872; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21144872 - 16 Jul 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2401
Abstract
This work presents a microwave reflectometry-based system for monitoring large concrete structures (during the curing process and also while the structure is in use), through the combined use of punctual and diffused sensing elements. In particular, the adoption of punctual probes on a [...] Read more.
This work presents a microwave reflectometry-based system for monitoring large concrete structures (during the curing process and also while the structure is in use), through the combined use of punctual and diffused sensing elements. In particular, the adoption of punctual probes on a reference concrete specimen allows the development of an innovative and accurate calibration procedure, useful to obtain the value of the water content on a larger structure made of the same material. Additionally, a wire-like diffused sensing element can be permanently embedded in buildings and used to monitor the structure along the entire length of the sensing element. The adopted diffused sensing element can be used not only to detect dielectric variation during the curing process, but also throughout the service life of the structure. The combined use of punctual and diffused sensing elements represents an important innovation from a procedural point of view, able to provide detailed and quantitative information on the health status of the structure both during and after construction. Full article
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14 pages, 43864 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Dielectric Waveguide Grating and Fabry–Perot Modes in Elastic Grating in Optical Detection of Ultrasound
by Suejit Pechprasarn, Chayanisa Sukkasem and Phitsini Suvarnaphaet
Sensors 2021, 21(12), 4081; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21124081 - 14 Jun 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3101
Abstract
In our previous work, we have demonstrated that dielectric elastic grating can support Fabry–Perot modes and provide embedded optical interferometry to measure ultrasonic pressure. The Fabry–Perot modes inside the grating provide an enhancement in sensitivity and figure of merit compared to thin film-based [...] Read more.
In our previous work, we have demonstrated that dielectric elastic grating can support Fabry–Perot modes and provide embedded optical interferometry to measure ultrasonic pressure. The Fabry–Perot modes inside the grating provide an enhancement in sensitivity and figure of merit compared to thin film-based Fabry–Perot structures. Here, in this paper, we propose a theoretical framework to explain that the elastic grating also supports dielectric waveguide grating mode, in which optical grating parameters control the excitation of the two modes. The optical properties of the two modes, including coupling conditions and loss mechanisms, are discussed. The proposed grating has the grating period in micron scale, which is shorter than the wavelength of the incident ultrasound leading to an ultrasonic scattering. The gap regions in the grating allow the elastic grating thickness to be compressed by the incident ultrasound and coupled to a surface acoustic wave mode. The thickness compression can be measured using an embedded interferometer through one of the optical guided modes. The dielectric waveguide grating is a narrow bandpass optical filter enabling an ultrasensitive mode to sense changes in optical displacement. This enhancement in mechanical and optical properties gives rise to a broader detectable pressure range and figure of merit in ultrasonic detection; the detectable pressure range and figure of merit can be enhanced by 2.7 times and 23 times, respectively, compared to conventional Fabry–Perot structures. Full article
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12 pages, 2297 KiB  
Communication
Sensitivity and Accuracy of Dielectric Measurements of Liquids Significantly Improved by Coupled Capacitive-Dependent Quartz Crystals
by Vojko Matko and Miro Milanovič
Sensors 2021, 21(10), 3565; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21103565 - 20 May 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1976
Abstract
A method to measure complex permittivity of liquids by using a capacitive-dependent quartz crystal and two quartz oscillators for temperature compensation in the frequency range of 4–10 MHz is described. Complex permittivity can be detected with high precision and sensitivity through a small [...] Read more.
A method to measure complex permittivity of liquids by using a capacitive-dependent quartz crystal and two quartz oscillators for temperature compensation in the frequency range of 4–10 MHz is described. Complex permittivity can be detected with high precision and sensitivity through a small change of capacitance and conductance, because a change in reactance in series with the quartz crystal impacts its resonant oscillation frequency. The temperature compensation in the range below 0.1 ppm is achieved by using two quartz oscillators that are made of elements of the same quality and have a temperature–frequency pair of quartz crystals. With the help of a reference oscillator, measurements of frequency are more accurate, because the frequency difference is in the kHz region, which also enables further processing of the signal by a microcontroller. With a proper calibration, the accuracy of this highly sensitive quartz crystal method is ±0.05%, which is an order of magnitude lower than that for a capacitance method without quartz crystals. The improved accuracy is of significant importance in the field of power engineering to monitor coolants and lubricants, oils, liquid fuels and other liquids, the dielectric properties of which are crucial for proper operation of devices. Full article
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19 pages, 2786 KiB  
Article
Towards Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Skin Cancer: Sensing Depth Investigation of Open-Ended Coaxial Probes
by Cemanur Aydinalp, Sulayman Joof and Tuba Yilmaz
Sensors 2021, 21(4), 1319; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s21041319 - 12 Feb 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Dielectric properties of biological tissues are traditionally measured with open-ended coaxial probes. Despite being commercially available for laboratory use, the technique suffers from high measurement error. This prevents the practical applications of the open-ended coaxial probes. One such application is the utilization of [...] Read more.
Dielectric properties of biological tissues are traditionally measured with open-ended coaxial probes. Despite being commercially available for laboratory use, the technique suffers from high measurement error. This prevents the practical applications of the open-ended coaxial probes. One such application is the utilization of the technique for skin cancer detection. To enable a diagnostic tool, there is a need to address the error sources. Among others, tissue heterogeneity is a major contributor to measurement error. The effect of tissue heterogeneity on measurement accuracy can be decreased by quantifying the probe sensing depth. To this end, this work (1) investigates the sensing depth of the 2.2 mm-diameter open-ended coaxial probe for skin mimicking material and (2) offers a simple experimental setup and protocol for sensing depth characterization of open-ended coaxial probes. The sensing depth characterized through simulation and experiments using two double-layered configurations composed to mimic the skin tissue heterogeneity. Three thresholds in percent increase of dielectric property measurements were chosen to determine the sensing depth. Based on the experiment results, it was concluded that the sensing depth was effected by the dielectric property contrast between the layers. That is, high contrast results in rapid change whereas low contrast results in a slower change in measured dielectric properties. It was also concluded that the sensing depth was independent of frequency between 0.5 to 6 GHz and was mostly determined by the material located immediately at the aperture of the probe. Full article
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2020

Jump to: 2023, 2022, 2021

14 pages, 4374 KiB  
Letter
Design of a High Sensitivity Microwave Sensor for Liquid Dielectric Constant Measurement
by Honggang Hao, Dexu Wang, Zhu Wang, Bo Yin and Wei Ruan
Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5598; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/s20195598 - 29 Sep 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4135
Abstract
In order to improve the sensitivity of liquid dielectric constant measurements, a liquid dielectric constant sensor based on a cubic container structure is proposed for the first time. The cubic container, which consists of a dielectric substrate with a split resonant ring (SRR) [...] Read more.
In order to improve the sensitivity of liquid dielectric constant measurements, a liquid dielectric constant sensor based on a cubic container structure is proposed for the first time. The cubic container, which consists of a dielectric substrate with a split resonant ring (SRR) and microstrip lines, can enhance the electric field intensity in the measuring area. High sensitivity can be obtained from measuring the dielectric constant with the characteristics of the structure resonate. The research results show that the resonant frequency of the sensor is shifted from 7.69 GHz to 5.70 GHz, with about a 2 GHz frequency offset, when the dielectric constant of the sample varied from 1 to 10. A resonance frequency offset of 200 MHz for the per unit dielectric constant is achieved, which is excellent regarding performance. The permittivity of oil with a different metal content is measured by using the relation between the fitted permittivity and the resonant frequency. The relative error is less than 1.5% and the sensitivity of measuring is up to 3.45%. Full article
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