Resonator could find use in commercial sensing processes

So far, the sensors’ response to variations in temperature has prevented them from being used outside the laboratory.

New sensors developed by researchers at Cambridge University negate the effects of temperature so that they may be used in industries including healthcare, telecommunications and environmental monitoring.

Sensors built from high-frequency bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators consist of a piezoelectric layer sandwiched between two electrodes, to which a variable-frequency signal is applied.

The resonator vibrates at a given frequency and the properties of the resulting acoustic wave allow researchers to determine what is occurring in the environment.

According to the university, the main application of these nanoscale sensors is to measure a mass load. By tracking changes in the acoustic wave, mass changes on the sensors can be detected. The resonators can be altered to detect a number of different things, from antigens and antibodies to environmental contaminants.

In a statement, the university said the major issue preventing the adoption of these resonators in commercial sensing applications has been their response to temperature.