Influence of the operating condition on the poly[tetradecylmethylsiloxane] coated quartz microbalances for heavy hydrocarbon sensing

Coated quartz microbalances have been produced by spraying a dichloremethan solution of poly [tetradecylmethylsiloxane] on usual, 10 MHz, AT-cut quartz resonators. Standard sensitivity tests have been performed in a computer controlled system for gases and vapours mixing. The influence of the driving oscillator type, working temperature, and humidity is observed and discussed.