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Surface Tension Sensor Meshes for Rapid Alcohol Quantification.
E J Falde1, J Wang1, M W Grinstaff1
1Boston University, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, and Medicine, Boston, MA, 02215, United States.
RSC Advances
|December 26, 2017
Summary
A novel surface tension sensor detects alcohol in solutions by observing liquid droplet wetting transitions. This technology was validated using commercial wines and novel electrospun polymer sensor arrays with tunable wettability.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Surface tension is a critical property of liquids, influenced by solute concentration.
- Detecting alcohol in solutions often relies on methods that can be complex or time-consuming.
- Developing rapid and sensitive alcohol detection methods is important for various applications, including quality control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a new sensor for detecting alcohol in solutions based on surface tension changes.
- To fabricate and characterize novel electrospun polymeric sensor arrays for enhanced wettability control.
- To validate the sensor's performance using real-world samples like commercial wines.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of two-layer polymeric sensor arrays using electrospinning techniques.
- Utilizing a surface tension sensor to monitor the transition of liquid droplets from non-wetted to wetted states.
- Testing the sensor array's response with various alcohol concentrations in aqueous solutions and commercial wines.
Main Results:
- The surface tension sensor successfully detected the presence of alcohol in solutions by identifying the wetting transition.
- The fabricated electrospun polymer arrays demonstrated controlled wettability, crucial for sensor performance.
- Successful application of the sensor to analyze alcohol content in commercial wine samples was achieved.
Conclusions:
- Surface tension measurements offer a viable method for alcohol detection in solutions.
- Electrospun polymeric materials provide a versatile platform for creating tunable wettability sensor surfaces.
- This sensor technology shows promise for practical applications in alcohol content analysis.
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