Abstract
In this paper, 3D printing is used as an alternative manufacturing technique to fabricate metamaterial-inspired RF structures for liquid profiling. A dual split-ring resonator (SRR) based sensor tag is designed and integrated with a microfluidic channel for detecting different liquid samples. The sensor is 3D printed using a high-temperature resin and metallized using a custom developed metal patterning process. The sensor requires a very small volume of 8.6 μL of sample under test for detection. The resonance frequency of the SRR changes with change in sample loading and the shift is monitored for sample profiling. Different volatile organic compounds are introduced and the shift is monitored demonstrating the sensitivity of the proposed tag. The low-cost, real-time nature of the tag makes it an ideal choice for monitoring liquids along the supply chain.
