Liquid sensor based on a piezoelectric lateral electric field-excited resonator.

The influence of viscous and conducting liquid on the characteristics of a piezoelectric lateral electric field-excited resonator based on the X-cut lithium niobate plate has been investigated. It has been found that the contact of a free surface of such resonator with conducting or viscous liquid leads to the substantial variation of its electrical impedance/admittance. The analysis has shown the modulus of electrical impedance or admittance at any frequency near the parallel or series resonance to be a parameter unambiguously associated with the conductivity or the viscosity. This parameter is more sensitive to the variation of the liquid conductivity or viscosity as compared to the widely used for this purpose resonant frequency whose variation area is essentially smaller. By this means the liquid conductivity and viscosity affects unambiguously on the change of electrical impedance and admittance modulus whose measurement at a fixed frequency should present no problem in practice. Consequently, the lateral field excited resonator we have described may be employed as a liquid conductivity and viscosity meter with an appropriate graduation.