A Simple Contactless High-Frequency Electromagnetic Sensor: Proof of Concept

We report on the development of a very simple and inexpensive sensor device based on an inductance coil connected to a high-frequency electric field generator. The working principle of this sensor is as follows: liquid sample in a plastic tube is placed inside the inductance coil as its core and this core changes the properties of high-frequency electric current passing through the coil; these changes depend on sample conductivity, dielectric constant, magnetic properties, and capacitance. The electric signal registered after the coil represents a kind of a spectrum that can be effectively treated with chemometric tools. Our studies have shown that such a sensor can be used to distinguish between substances with different physical and chemical properties; different concentrations of ions in aqueous solutions with a linear response in a broad concentration range from 10^-3 M to 10^-1 M; can quantify the fat content in milk and cream samples with about 2% accuracy; and can distinguish between bacterial cultures and cell line cultures. The measurements are very fast and contactless, and the results show good promise for developing a number of applications of this sensor system.