A novel microacoustic viscosity sensor providing integrated sample temperature control

A novel thickness shear mode microacoustic sensor suitable for measuring viscosity-temperature characteristics is presented. The sensor features an integrated heater and temperature sensor such that the temperature of the liquid sample can be easily controlled directly at the sensitive surface. In contrast to conventional viscosity measurement setups, this compact sensor requires less heating power and yields shorter measurement times. Moreover, the approach is less sensitive to temperature gradients in the liquid sample. In this paper, we report on the design, the analysis, and the performance of the first fabricated prototype utilizing this novel concept.