Capacitive Interdigitated Electrodes Sensor for the Field Device to Measure Moisture Content in the Nitrile Gloves Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

This paper investigates the impedance spectroscopy technique in determining moisture content in Nitrile gloves. Interdigitated electrode was designed and fabricated, then evaluated on LCR Impedance meter subjected to frequency range of 100Hz, 120Hz, 1kHz, 10kHz, 20kHz and 100kHz. Samples of Nitrile gloves were compounded and prepared for different moisture content level and regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationships between capacitance and moisture content of the glove samples. Experimental results indicated that the capacitance value is a strong function of moisture content in gloves and also that the capacitance of moisture content in Nitrile gloves decreased with increasing drying time over the measured frequency range whilst statistical analysis results have confirmed that the 1kHz, 10kHz and 20kHz signal frequencies have highest reliable prediction of the nitrile gloves’ moisture content with high R² value of 0.96, 0.97 and 0.97, respectively. The ability to determine average moisture content of Nitrile gloves via a non-destructive and online method, utilizing a low-cost instrument, will be of considerable use in the glove industry. This method could also be extended to other types of gloves and rubber products.