Measurement of Complex Permittivity for Rapid Detection of Liquid Concentration Using a Reusable Octagon-Shaped Resonator Sensor

Abstract

Substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs) are widely used in microwave systems owing to their low cost and ease of integration. In this study, an SIW-based resonator that reacts to the complex permittivity variation of solutions with dimensions of 79.2 mm × 59.8 mm is introduced. This octagon-shaped sensor can be installed on a preliminary monitoring system to test water quality by observing the parameter variations caused by external factors. The resonant structure was used to test different concentrations of ethanol–water and acetone–water mixtures for verification. The resonant frequency and quality factor (Q-factor) were found to vary with the relative complex permittivity of the liquid in the S-band, and the electric field distribution varied when liquid droplets were placed in the center of the substrate. The designed sensor operates at 2.45 GHz in the air, and the observed minimum resonant frequency shift with liquid was 15 MHz. The measurement error was approximately 3.1%, and the results reveal a relationship between the resonant frequency and temperature as well. Considering the observed sources of error, the measured relative permittivity is consistent with the actual values. The proposed sensor is economically convenient and suitable for various test environments.