Pyroelectric Sensor for Temperature Monitoring of Biological Fluids in Microchannel Devices

In a lab-on-a-chip application, the measurement of local temperature variation often involves the detection of very low-level signals in a noisy microscale environment. A polymer pyroelectric transducer represents an efficient solution in terms of speed, sensitivity, and scale of integration, especially when prompt and accurate temperature monitoring is desired. This paper presents a ferroelectric polymer sensor to be used for the measurement of temperature variations in a microfluidic system. The pyroelectric sensor is based on a thin polyvinylidene fluoride sheet, which also provides a seal for the microchannels. The analytical model of the pyroelectric response of the sensor, coupled with the microchannel device, is in a good agreement with experimental data. Experiments confirm that the operating temperature range is suitable for most applications in which fast temperature monitoring is desired in order to avoid degradation of the biological samples.