A modified single metamaterial split-ring resonator for enhanced sensitivity

A novel microwave biosensor operating in the C-band is developed and characterised for enhanced glucose sensing applications. The sensor is based on a single metamaterial asymmetric split-ring resonator (SASR) and has been investigated in two configurations: a single semi-circular design (SASR-S) and a double semi-circular design (SASR-D). The structural modifications were introduced to enlarge the sensing area by creating two high-field hotspots, thereby increasing the interaction between the electromagnetic (EM) field and the sample, which consequently enhances the overall sensor sensitivity. The sensor is fabricated on a Rogers AD350A substrate and is optimised to detect glucose levels in a 1 µL solution applied within each semi-circle sensing region. To characterise the sensor’s enhanced sensitivity, we performed a 3D electromagnetic simulation of a small droplet positioned within a semicircular sensing region, varying the relative permittivity of the droplet from 45 to 65. The resulting shifts in resonant frequency served as a primary indicator of dielectric sensitivity. The sensor’s response was experimentally validated using a vector network analyser to measure the transmission coefficient (S21) of samples with no glucose and at glucose concentrations of 97 mg/dL to 286 mg/dL. The results demonstrate that the resonator configuration strongly influences the resonance frequency shift and sensitivity, with the SASR-D configuration being the most effective design. This has also been confirmed by measurements demonstrating a sensitivity of approximately 2.4 MHz/(mg/dL), representing an approximately two-fold improvement over the SASR-S sensor (sensitivity: 1.27 MHz/(mg/dL)) and a notable enhancement over previously reported sensors. These findings demonstrate the practical potential of the proposed sensor for blood glucose monitoring applications.