Characterization of gas-phase adsorption on metal oxide thin films using a magnetoelastic resonance microbalance.

In this study, a magnetoelastic resonance microbalance (MERM) was used to directly measure the gas-phase adsorption behavior of water vapor, isopropyl alcohol, and acetone on a sol-gel-derived titanium dioxide sensor coating. The nature of the MERM platform enables chemical measurements in situations in which wires or physical connections are undesired (or not possible) or in which sensor cost is a major issue. The underlying MERM technique (with an uncoated sensor) showed excellent day-to-day stability, a linear calibration over a 1 kHz change in frequency (or a 1.5-mg change in mass), and the ability to detect a mass change of 15 microg without any efforts at sensitivity optimization. The titanium dioxide coated sensor yielded excellent response to each of the analytes; however, the response did not follow a simple linear calibration function. A more complex calibration model or utilization of the coated sensor in a limited concentration range would be required for quantitative analysis. The process of applying the metal oxide coatings onto the magnetic substrate altered the structure of the thin film layer, resulting in a relatively loose packing of the porous primary titanium dioxide particles to create an open overall honeycomb structure, thereby affecting the adsorption behavior at high relative concentration.