ABSTRACT
The application of electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a long-standing method for the electrical characterization of conducting systems, such as metallurgical material systems, and more recently has been used to reveal exciting mechanistic discoveries in biology. Equivalent circuit models, in combination with physical models, provide insight into the various mechanisms of charge transfer throughout the material systems being probed often indicating deeper mechanistic insights. In this chapter, fundamental impedance theory is introduced, and we present
the construction of equivalent circuit models and mathematical models using epithelial cells grown on interdigitated electrodes as an example to guide the reader in performing EIS experiments. Electrical impedance spectroscopy has been applied to biological systems in the past two decades allowing for extensive studies of biological phenomena in a real-time and non-invasive manner. This chapter concludes with a discussion on the using EIS to advance the understanding of fundamental biological processes, application in point-of-care treatments in the healthcare industry, and the development of “in the ield” environmental monitoring.
