Patent attributes
Methods and sensors for selective fluid sensing are provided. Each sensor includes a resonant inductor-capacitor-resistor (LCR) sensor that is coated with a sensing material. In order to collect data, an impedance spectrum is acquired over a relatively narrow frequency range, such as the resonant frequency range of the LCR circuit. A multivariate signature may be calculated from the acquired spectrum to discern the presence of certain fluids and/or fluid mixtures. The presence of fluids is detected by measuring the changes in dielectric, dimensional, resistance, charge transfer, and other changes in the properties of the materials employed by observing the changes in the resonant electronic properties of the circuit. By using a mathematical procedure, such as principal components analysis (PCA) and others, multiple fluids and mixtures can be detected in the presence of one another, even in a high humidity environment or an environment wherein one or more fluids has a substantially higher concentration (e.g. 10×, 1,000,000×) compared to other components in the mixture.
