title: Use of a capacitance measurement device for surrogate noncontact conductance measurement.
abstract: A capacitance to digital converter (AD7746) is used in the same mode as noncontact conductance detectors. The detector output is linearly proportional to specific conductance (sigma) at low sigma values but becomes nonlinear and reaches a plateau value at sigma approximately >0.75 mS/cm, regardless of the nature of the electrolyte. For all applications at sub- to low-mM concentrations, the device, available as an evaluation board, provides a very affordable nothing-else-required means of contactless surrogate conductivity detection from capillary scale to larger bore conduits. For the same measurement cell volume, the detector provides virtually the same limits of detection (LODs) as a standard galvanic contact conductivity detector in conventional scale suppressed conductometric ion chromatography. The detection limits deteriorate as the conduit inner diameter decreases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019-0065, United States.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Qingyang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bingcheng
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Purnendu K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Dasgupta
authors.forename: Vincent E
authors.initials: VE
authors.lastname: Wilde
mesh_terms: D002852:Chromatography, Ion Exchange / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025802:Electric Capacitance; D004553:Electric Conductivity