On the Integration of Dielectrometry into Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy to Obtain Characteristic Properties of a Dielectric Thin Film

We demonstrate a novel impedimetric approach providing unprecedented insight into characteristic properties of dielectric thin films covering electrode surfaces. The concept is based on the joint interpretation of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) together with dielectrometry (DEM) whose informative value is mutually interconnected. The advantage lies in the synergistic compensation of individual shortcomings adversely affecting conventional impedimetric analysis strategies relying exclusively on either DEM or the traditional EIS approach, which in turn allows a reliable determination of thickness and permittivity values. The versatility of the method proposed is showcased by an in-situ growth-monitoring of a nanoporous, crystalline thin film (HKUST-1) on an interdigitated electrode geometry

Method and Apparatus for Non-Destructive Evaluation of Materials

Methods and apparatus for characterizing composite materials for manufacturing quality assurance (QA), periodic inspection during the useful life, or for forensic analysis/material testing. System are provided that relate eddy-current sensor responses to the fiber layup of a composite structure, the presence of impact damage on a composite structure with or without a metal liner, volumetric stress within the composite, fiber tow density, and other NDE inspection requirements. Also provided are systems that determine electromagnetic material properties and material dimensions of composite materials from capacitive sensor inspection measurements. These properties are related to the presence of buried defects in non-conductive composite materials, moisture ingress, aging of the material due to service or environmental/thermal exposure, or changes in manufacturing quality

Electronic system for liquid-type recognition, based on interdigital capacitor

Коришћењем интердигиталног кондензатора и микроконтролера, систем за препознавање течности је имплементиран и испитан. Пермитивност течних узорака је коришћена као физичка особина на основу које се врши препознавање. Инвазивна и неинвазивна конфигурација сензора је израђена и испитана. Резултати указују на могућност развоја компактних, минијатурних уређаја за теренску употребу.Korišćenjem interdigitalnog kondenzatora i mikrokontrolera, sistem za prepoznavanje tečnosti je implementiran i ispitan. Permitivnost tečnih uzoraka je korišćena kao fizička osobina na osnovu koje se vrši prepoznavanje. Invazivna i neinvazivna konfiguracija senzora je izrađena i ispitana. Rezultati ukazuju na mogućnost razvoja kompaktnih, minijaturnih uređaja za terensku upotrebu.By using interdigital capacitor and a microcontroller, a system for liquid-type recognition has been developed and examined. Permittivity of liquid samples has been used as a physical property for recognition. Invasive and noninvasive sensor configuration has been implemented and examined. Results imply the possibility to develop compact, miniature, on-field devices

Interdigital dielectrometry based detection and identification of dangerous materials for security applications

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2003.Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-137).This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Recent terrorist threats have increased the attention paid to searching airline passengers for dangerous and explosive materials. In particular, the possibility that terrorists might hide explosives in shoes has prompted most airline screening stations to require that shoes be removed for x-ray inspection. This thesis is a preliminary investigation of an interdigital dielectrometry based method that could safely and accurately determine the material content within shoes while they are worn. Theoretical modeling of the sensor and the representative materials under test were conducted with the finite element analysis package Maxwell from Ansoft Corp. and analytic/numerical mathematical models for material property estimation. The studies show that dangerous materials hidden in the sole of a shoe could be detected and identified if they lie within the penetration depth of the sensor and if they are sufficiently different in their complex dielectric properties from the normal shoe material. Preliminary finite element computer simulations were also performed to show the effects of sensing electrode segmentation on improving the penetration depth of the electric field, but at the cost of reduced signal strength. Experiments using interdigital sensors with wavelengths ranging from 1 mm to 40 mm in the frequency range of 0.005 Hz to 10 kHz first on homogeneous materials such as air, sand, sugar, salt, wood, Lexan, Teflon, and paper and later on actual shoes with cavities containing foreign materials show that the materials can be identified based on their complex dielectric properties as extracted from experimental data using an inverse parameter solver for material property estimation. The ability of the dielectrometry system to precisely identify materials from a database is presently limited by measurement noise, contact quality and sample placement inconsistency. Likewise, variations due to moisture content and other contamination present challenges to future development of the technology.by Jason Sears.S.M

Effects of through-thickness dielectric sensor on carbon fibre epoxy cure monitoring

Dielectric sensors are an appealing solution for in-situ cure monitoring of thermoset polymers and thermoset composites. Analysis techniques have been shown to produce highly accurate and repeatable insight into cure state metrics both during and after cure. However, most dielectric sensors only report data on the surface of the material that the sensor is in direct contact with, neglecting the remainder of the thickness of the component. This study evaluates a novel dielectric sensor which is designed with a 20 mm penetration depth to monitor through the thickness of the composite part. While the prototype sensor design was shown to influence the raw data signal, a correction factor was successfully applied, and signals were analysed in accordance with the standard set of dielectric methods. The corrected signal had good accuracy and repeatability across laminates from 2 to 20 mm thick, demonstrating a non-invasive, through-thickness monitoring for a range of part designs

Dielectometry measurements of moisture dynamics in oil-impregnated pressboard

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 321-322).by Yanko Konstantinov Sheiretov.M.S

Radio frequency and capacitive sensors for dielectric characterization of low-conductivity media

Low-conductivity media are found in a vast number of applications, for example as electrical insulation or as the matrix polymer in high strength-to-weight ratio structural composites. In some applications, these materials are subjected to extreme environmental, thermal, and mechanical conditions that can affect the material\u27s desired performance. In a more general sense, a medium may be comprised of one or more layers with unknown material properties that may affect the desired performance of the entire structure. It is often, therefore, of great import to be able to characterize the material properties of these media for the purpose of estimating their future performance in a certain application. Low-conductivity media, or dielectrics, are poor electrical conductors and permit electromagnetic waves and static electric fields to pass through with minimal attenuation. The amount of electrical energy that may be stored (and lost) in these fields depends directly upon the material property, permittivity, which is generally complex, frequency-dependent and has a measurable effect on sensors designed to characterize dielectric media. In this work, two different types of dielectric sensors: radio frequency resonant antennas and lower-frequency (\u3c1 MHz) capacitive sensors, are designed for permittivity characterization in their respective frequency regimes. In the first part of this work, the capability of characterizing multilayer dielectric structures is studied using a patch antenna, a type of antenna that is primarily designed for data communications in the microwave bands but has application in the field of nondestructive evaluation as well. Each configuration of a patch antenna has a single lowest resonant (dominant mode) frequency that is dependent upon the antenna\u27s substrate material and geometry as well as the permittivity and geometry of exterior materials. Here, an extant forward model is validated using well-characterized microwave samples and a new method of resonant frequency and quality factor determination from measured data is presented. Excellent agreement between calculated and measured values of sensor resonant frequency was obtained for the samples studied. Agreement between calculated and measured quality factor was good in some cases but incurred the particular challenge of accurately quantifying multiple contributions to loss from the sensor structure itself, which at times dominates the contribution due to the sample material. Two later chapters describe the development of capacitive sensors to quantify the low-frequency changes in material permittivity due to environmental aging mechanisms. One embodiment involves the application of coplanar concentric interdigital electrode sensors for the purpose of investigating polymer-matrix degradation in glass-fiber composites due to isothermal aging. Samples of bismaleimide-matrix glass-fiber composites were aged at several high temperatures to induce thermal degradation and capacitive sensors were used to measure the sensor capacitance and dissipation factor, parameters that are directly proportional to the real and imaginary components of complex permittivity, respectively. It was shown that real permittivity and dissipation factor decreased with increasing aging temperature, a trend that was common to both interdigital sensor measurements and standard parallel plate electrode measurements. The second piece of work involves the development of cylindrical interdigital electrode sensors to characterize complex permittivity changes in wire insulation due to aging-related degradation. The sensor was proven effective in detecting changes in irradiated nuclear power plant wiring insulation and in aircraft wiring insulation due to liquid chemical immersion. In all three cases, the results indicate a clear correlation of measured capacitance and dissipation factor with increased degradation

Capacitive sensors for measuring complex permittivity of planar and cylindrical structures

With the increasing use of low-conductivity structural and functional materials, there has been a greater need for the efficient and reliable nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of these materials. One approach to evaluate low-conductivity structural and functional materials is to characterize the material dielectric property. In this thesis, capacitive sensors are developed for measuring complex permittivity of planar and cylindrical materials. For each sensor configuration, models are developed to allow for inverse determination of material permittivity from measured capacitance, therefore realizing quantitative characterization of material dielectric properties. In the first half of the thesis, coplanar concentric capacitive sensors are developed to meet the need of detecting water or excessive inhomogeneities caused by repairs in aircraft radome structures. Another important motivation is the absolute dielectric property characterization of laminar structures. Three coplanar sensor configurations are designed: the simple two-electrode concentric configuration, the interdigital spiral and the interdigital concentric configurations. Corresponding numerical models are developed to predict the sensor capacitance for given test-piece structures. The validity of the models is verified by comparing numerical predictions and measurement results. The advantage and disadvantage of each sensor configuration is discussed. For the two-electrode concentric configuration, a prototype handheld probe is also fabricated, and has detected successfully 1 cc of low contrast liquid in a simulated radome structure. Curved patch capacitive sensors, presented in the second half of the thesis, are developed with the motivation of accurate and convenient permittivity measurement of cylindrical structures. It is demonstrated that the permittivity of homogeneous dielectric rods is inferred easily from measured sensor capacitance, based on analytical and numerical models developed here. Another practical application of the curved patch capacitive sensors is the quantitative evaluation of aircraft wiring insulation condition. In this work, wires are modeled as cylindrical dielectrics with a conductive core. A numerical relationship between the complex permittivity of the insulation and the sensor capacitance and dissipation factor is established. A prototype probe, developed based on this model, has distinguished successfully degraded wires from the control ones. The feasibility of utilizing the presented capacitive approach for quantitative evaluation of aircraft wiring insulation condition is demonstrated. Although the development of the capacitive sensors in this thesis is motivated by aerospace engineering related applications, results presented in this work have the potential to be applied to other engineering fields. Potential sensor applications and recommended future research are suggested at the end of the thesis