# An Enhanced Q-Factor Cantilever Resonator in Viscous Liquids Using Strategic Perforation

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a new design for cantilever resonators that improves their performance in viscous liquids by using strategic perforation.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the use of strategic perforation to reduce damping and enhance the Q-factor in liquid environments.

## Key findings

- Free-end perforated cantilevers achieve a 346.2% Q-factor enhancement in viscous liquids.
- The design maintains structural stiffness while reducing squeeze-film damping.

## Abstract

Cantilever resonators immersed in liquids experience significant viscous damping, which degrades the resonator’s quality factor (Q-factor) and lowers the signal-to-noise ratio. To address this challenge, a strategic perforation approach is proposed to enhance the Q-factor of cantilever resonators in viscous liquids. A distributed-parameter model based on the Rayleigh–Ritz method is developed to quantify the spatial distribution of structural stiffness and viscous damping. The analysis shows that material removal at the free end effectively reduces squeeze-film damping while maintaining stiffness. Resonator prototypes with different perforation designs are fabricated and tested in various viscous liquids. The results show that the free-end perforated cantilever (FPC) achieves a higher Q-factor compared to the conventional non-perforated cantilever (NPC). In an 18.5 mPa·s liquid, the FPC demonstrates a 346.2 % Q-factor enhancement and a 4.78 % frequency increase. These results provide a design guideline for high-performance cantilever resonators in liquid-phase sensing applications.