Study of Interdigitated Electrode Arrays Using Experiments and Finite Element Models for the Evaluation of Sterilization Processes

Sensors

Jan Oberländer³  Zaid B. Jildeh³  Patrick Kirchner³  Luisa Wendeler³  Alexander Bromm³  Heiko Iken³  Patrick Wagner¹  Michael Keusgen²  Michael J. Schöning³ 

[1] Soft Matter and Biophysics, Catholic University Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, Leuven 3001, Belgium; E-Mail:;Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6-10, Marburg 35037, Germany; E-Mail:;Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: sterilization process;    hydrogen peroxide;    interdigitated electrodes (IDE);    FEM model;   

DOI  :  10.3390/s151026115

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

In this work, a sensor to evaluate sterilization processes with hydrogen peroxide vapor has been characterized. Experimental, analytical and numerical methods were applied to evaluate and study the sensor behavior. The sensor set-up is based on planar interdigitated electrodes. The interdigitated electrode structure consists of 614 electrode fingers spanning over a total sensing area of 20 mm². Sensor measurements were conducted with and without microbiological spores as well as after an industrial sterilization protocol. The measurements were verified using an analytical expression based on a first-order elliptical integral. A model based on the finite element method with periodic boundary conditions in two dimensions was developed and utilized to validate the experimental findings.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.