In this paper, we describe a low-cost microwave microfluidic system of ultrahigh sensitivity for detecting small changes in the concentration of polar solutions (liquid dielectrics) in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. Its principle of operation is based on microwave interferometry, which is implemented using planar microstrip lines and integrated microwave components. The key features of this system include small solution intake (<200 µL per measurement), short time of measurement (ca. 20 ms), ultrahigh sensitivity of concentration changes (up to 55 dB/%), and low error of measurement (below 0.1%). The ultrahigh sensitivity was proven experimentally by measurements of the fat content of milk. In addition, it is a user-friendly system due to an effortless and fast calibration procedure. Moreover, it can be made relatively compact (<20 cm2) and features low power consumption (200 mW). Thus, the proposed system is perfect for industrial applications, especially for highly integrated lab-on-chip devices.
Keywords: LTCC sensor; concentration measurement; microwave interferometry; microwave sensor; microwave-microfluidic system.