Moisture sensor

• US 4,696,796 A
• Filed: 09/04/1985
• Issued: 09/29/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Original Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Junya, Tahara, Shu, Oka, Syotaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Richman, Barry S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gzybowski, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US06/772,562
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 422/98, 422/88, 436/151, 73/336.5, 73/29, 338/35
• US Class Current: 422/88
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0257 with a layer containing at least one organic compound
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02845 Humidity, wetness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/126 comprising organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/036 by measuring frequency or resonance of acoustic waves

Abstract

A moisture sensor having the moisture sensitive film comprising an inner layer in the form of a plasma-polymerized high polymer layer of a hydrophobic organic compound and a surface layer in the form of a plasma-polymerized high polymer layer having incorporated therein a hydrophilic groups of an ammonium salt type, and a process for producing same.

Claims

1. A moisture sensor comprising:

(a) a solid substrate comprising a piezoelectric element;

(b) a pair of electrodes formed on said substrate; and

(c) a moisture sensitive film formed on at least one of said electrodes, said film comprising;

an inner, plasma-polymerized, highly crosslinked high polymer layer of a hydrophobic organic compound, and

an outer surface layer chemically bonded to said inner layer, said outer surface layer comprising an amino-containing highly crosslinked high polymer layer of an organic amino compound formed by plasma polymerization, said outer surface layer having incorporated therein a concentration gradient of ammonium salt-containing hydrophilic groups, decreasing from an exposed surface of said surface layer to said inner layer.

2. The moisture sensor of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric element is selected from the group consisting of quartz crystal oscillators, achroite, Rochelle salts, barium titanate crystals, and a zinc oxide crystals.