Design of a measurement cell for low-frequency dielectric spectroscopy of biological cell suspensions

Dielectric spectroscopy of biological cell suspensions has a serious problem at low frequencies, where electrode polarization (EP) effects mostly mask their dielectric spectra. This paper describes a new type of measurement cell capable of extending the available low-frequency region by shifting the EP effects toward low frequencies. Its effectiveness was evaluated by computer simulation and experimental measurement on suspensions of erythrocytes and ghosts (hypotonically lysed erythrocytes). The results showed that the available low-frequency region was extended about ten times as compared with a corresponding conventional measurement cell, and that the low-frequency dispersion (so-called alpha-dispersion) of ghost suspensions was definitely observed.