Critical assessment of the parameters that affect the selection of coating compounds for piezoelectric quartz crystal microbalances.

The selection of the compound to be used as a coating for a piezoelectric quartz crystal is of utmost importance in the development of a chemical sensor. The relevant parameters to be evaluated (stability, sensitivity, reversibility, response time, reproducibility, and selectivity), and the main variables affecting the results and influencing the choice of coatings are discussed and illustrated with experiments performed during the evaluation of coatings to detect carbon dioxide.