Ultrasensitive mass sensing using mode localization in coupled microcantilevers

Author

• Matthew Spletzer, Birck Nanotechnology Center and School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue UniversityFollow
• Arvind Raman, Birck Nanotechnology Center and School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue UniversityFollow
• Alexander Q. Wu, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
• Xianfan Xu, Birck Nanotechnology Center, School of Materials Engineering, Purdue UniversityFollow
• R. Reifenberger, Birck Nanotechnology Center and Department of Physics, Purdue UniversityFollow

Abstract

We use Anderson or vibration localization in coupled microcantilevers as an extremely sensitive method to detect the added mass of a target analyte. We focus on the resonance frequencies and eigenstates of two nearly identical coupled gold-foil microcantilevers. Theoretical and experimental results indicate that the relative changes in the eigenstates due to the added mass can be orders of magnitude greater than the relative changes in resonance frequencies. Moreover this sensing paradigm possesses intrinsic common mode rejection characteristics thus providing an alternate way to achieve ultrasensitive mass detection under ambient conditions.

Comments

DOI: 10.1063/1.2216889

Citation

Applied Physics Letters 88, 254102 (2006)

Date of this Version

June 2006

Recommended Citation

Spletzer, Matthew; Raman, Arvind ; Wu, Alexander Q.; Xu, Xianfan; and Reifenberger, R., "Ultrasensitive mass sensing using mode localization in coupled microcantilevers" (2006). Birck and NCN Publications. Paper 37.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/nanopub/37