High-performance phononic crystal sensing structure for acetone solution concentration sensing

A two-dimensional phononic crystal sensor model with high-quality factor and excellent sensitivity for sensing acetone solutions and operating at 25–45 kHz is proposed. The model for filling solution cavities is based on reference designs of quasi-crystal and gradient cavity structures. The transmission spectrum of sensor is simulated by the finite element method. High-quality factor of 45,793.06 and sensitivity of 80,166.67 Hz are obtained for the acetone concentration with 1–9.1%, and quality factor of 61,438.09 and sensitivity of 24,400.00 Hz are obtained for the acetone concentration range of 10–100%, which indicated the sensor could still achieve high sensitivity and quality factor at operating frequencies from 25 to 45 kHz. To verify the application of the sensor to sensing other solutions, the sensitivity for sound velocity and density is calculated as 24.61 m(-1) and 0.7764 m(3)/(kg × s), respectively. It indicates the sensor is sensitive to acoustic impedance changes of the solution and equally suitable for sensing other solutions. The simulation results reveal the phononic crystal sensor possessed high-performance in composition capture in pharmaceutical production and petrochemical industry, which can provide theoretical reference for the design of new biochemical sensors for reliable detection of solution concentration.