Highly Sensitive Multichannel Interdigitated Capacitor Based Bitterness Sensor

In this study, we propose a multichannel interdigitated capacitor (IDC) sensor for detecting the bitterness of coffee. The operating principle of the device is based on the variation in capacitance of a sensing membrane in contact with a bitter solution. Four solvatochromic dyes, namely, Nile red, Reichardt's dye, auramine-O, and rhodamine-B, were mixed with polyvinylchloride (PVC) and N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC), to create four different types of bitter-sensitive solutions. These solutions were then individually inserted into four interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) using a spin coater, to prepare four distinct IDC sensors. The sensors are capable of detecting bitterness-inducing chemical compounds in any solution, at concentrations of approximately $1{\mu}M$ to 1 M. The sensitivity of the IDC bitterness sensor containing the Reichardt's dye sensing-membrane was approximately 1.58 nF/decade. The multichannel sensor has a response time of approximately 6 s, and an approximate recovery time of 5 s. The proposed sensor offers a stable sensing response and linear sensing performance over a wide measurement range, with a correlation coefficient ($R^2$) of approximately 0.972.