A practical model of quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is presented, which considers both the Gaussian distribution characteristic of mass sensitivity and the influence of electrodes on the mass sensitivity. The equivalent mass sensitivity of 5 MHz and 10 MHz AT-cut QCMs with different sized electrodes were calculated according to this practical model. The equivalent mass sensitivity of this practical model is different from the Sauerbrey’s mass sensitivity, and the error between them increases sharply as the electrode radius decreases. A series of experiments which plate rigid gold film onto QCMs were carried out and the experimental results proved this practical model is more valid and correct rather than the classical Sauerbrey equation. The practical model based on the equivalent mass sensitivity is convenient and accurate in actual measurements.

A quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) is a typical acoustic transducer that undergoes a frequency shift due to changes in the mass of its surface. Its high sensitivity, robustness, small size design, and digital output have led to its widespread development for application in the fields of chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, and surface science. Mass sensitivity is one of the vital parameters and forms the basis for quantitative analysis using QCMs. This review firstly introduces the importance, definition, calculation, and measuring method of the mass sensitivity and then focuses on reviewing the influence of electrode parameters (including electrode shape, electrode diameter, electrode thickness, electrode material, etc.) on the mass sensitivity distribution of QCMs. Finally, the effect of the operating frequency on the mass sensitivity of QCMs is also analyzed.

In this paper, a high sensitivity and high stability quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) humidity sensor using polydopamine (PDA) coated cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)/graphene oxide (GO) (PDA@CNC/GO) nanocomposite as sensitive material is demonstrated. The PDA@CNC was prepared by the self-polymerization action on the surface of CNC, and it acted as filler material to form functional nanocomposite with GO. The material characteristics of PDA@CNC, CNC/GO and PDA@CNC/GO were analyzed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The experimental results show that the introduction of PDA@CNC into GO film not only effectively enhanced the sensitivity of GO-based nanocomposite-coated QCM sensor but also significantly maintained high stability in the entire humidity range. The PDA@CNC/GO30-coated QCM humidity sensor exhibited a superior response sensitivity up to 54.66 Hz/% relative humidity (RH), while the change rate of dynamic resistance of the sensor in the humidity range of 11.3–97.3% RH is only 14% that is much smaller than that of CNC/GO-coated QCM. Besides, the effect of the PDA@CNC content on the sensitivity and stability of GO-based nanocomposite-coated QCM humidity was also studied. Moreover, other performances of PDA@CNC/GO-coated QCM humidity sensor, including humidity hysteresis, fast response and recovery and long-term stability, were systematically investigated. This work suggests that PDA@CNC/GO nanocomposite is a promising candidate material for realizing high sensitivity and high stability QCM humidity sensor in the entire humidity detection range.