Quartz Crystal Microbalance Modeling for Biocompatible Thin Films Studies

This work presents an integrated approach combining instrumental modeling, multiscale analysis, and experimental validation to investigate water vapor interactions with thin hydrosoluble polymer films using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM200). The advanced modeling of the QCM device, including mechanical energy trapping effects, enables accurate extraction of surface mass variations associated with water sorption. Diffusion, relaxation, and interfacial transport phenomena are first analyzed individually and then coupled within a unified framework to capture the experimentally observed sorption kinetics. The study highlights the dominant role of non-Fickian mechanisms, in particular the significant contribution of matrix mechanical relaxation. Comparative analysis of film formulations reveals the critical impact of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on water uptake capacity, attributed to its strong hydrophilic affinity. Beyond its exceptional sensitivity, the QCM is shown to be a powerful investigative tool capable of resolving dynamic solvation processes within complex polymer matrices. These findings position the QCM not only as a precision measurement instrument, but also as a promising platform for the development of intelligent sensing technologies capable of real-time probing of solvent-polymer interactions.