Miniaturised eight-channel impedance spectroscopy unit as sensor platform for biosensor applications

A miniaturised, low cost impedance analyser is developed to ease the use of impedance spectroscopy in biological setups. This could form the first step towards fully standalone, hand-held biosensor applications. The system is capable of performing quasi-simultaneous time resolved impedance measurements on eight different channels in a frequency range of 10 Hz-100 kHz. The unit is accurate in a broad impedance range and is able to perform stable measurements over intervals of several days. The system is characterised by passive components, a temperature controlled wet cell based impedance setup and a biomimetic molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) based histamine sensor. The test results all indicate accurate and stable functioning of the unit, making it suitable for bioanalytical applications. (C) 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim