title: Study of interdigitated electrode arrays using experiments and finite element models for the evaluation of sterilization processes.
abstract: In this work, a sensor to evaluate sterilization processes with hydrogen peroxide vapor has been characterized. Experimental, analytical and numerical methods were applied to evaluate and study the sensor behavior. The sensor set-up is based on planar interdigitated electrodes. The interdigitated electrode structure consists of 614 electrode fingers spanning over a total sensing area of 20 mm². Sensor measurements were conducted with and without microbiological spores as well as after an industrial sterilization protocol. The measurements were verified using an analytical expression based on a first-order elliptical integral. A model based on the finite element method with periodic boundary conditions in two dimensions was developed and utilized to validate the experimental findings.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. oberlaender@fh-aachen.de.|Peter-Grünberg Institute (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52428, Germany. oberlaender@fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oberländer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. Zaid.Jildeh@imagine.de.
authors.forename: Zaid B
authors.initials: ZB
authors.lastname: Jildeh
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. kirchner@fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. luisa.wendeler@alumni.fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wendeler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. alexander.bromm@alumni.fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bromm
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. iken@fh-aachen.de.|Peter-Grünberg Institute (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52428, Germany. iken@fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iken
authors.affiliation: Soft Matter and Biophysics, Catholic University Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, Leuven 3001, Belgium. patrick.wagner@fys.kuleuven.be.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Philipps-University Marburg, Marbacher Weg 6-10, Marburg 35037, Germany. keusgen@staff.uni-marburg.de.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Keusgen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies (INB), FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Heinrich-Mussmann-Str. 1, Jülich 52428, Germany. schoening@fh-aachen.de.|Peter-Grünberg Institute (PGI-8), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich 52428, Germany. schoening@fh-aachen.de.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Schöning
mesh_terms: D004566:Electrodes; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000032:analysis; D013242:Sterilization / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide
keywords: FEM model; hydrogen peroxide; interdigitated electrodes (IDE); sterilization process