Method for detecting an unknown contaminant concentration in a substance

Abstract

A method for detecting contaminants in a solution by determining a change in resonant frequency (ΔF) and motional resistance (ΔR) of a crystal microbalance (CM) immunosensor is presented. The method includes measuring ΔF and determining ΔR of a CM immunosenor exposed to various samples including known concentrations and a sample including an unknown concentration of the contaminant. The unknown contaminant concentration may be determined according to ΔR of the samples with the known and unknown contaminant concentrations, or ΔF of the same. If ΔR of the CM immunosensor exposed to the samples with the known contaminant concentrations more accurately reflects the known contaminant concentrations than ΔF does, the unknown contaminant concentration may be determined according to ΔR of the samples with the known contaminant concentrations and the unknown contaminant concentration. Otherwise, the unknown contaminant concentration may be determined according to ΔF of the same.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.