Mass Spectrometry of Heavy Analytes and Large Biological Aggregates by Monitoring Changes in the Quality Factor of Nanomechanical Resonators in Air

Measurement of the mass of particles in the mega- to gigadalton range is challenging with conventional mass spectrometry. Although this mass range appears optimal for nanomechanical resonators, nanomechanical mass spectrometers often suffer from prohibitive sample loss, extended analysis time, or inadequate resolution. We report on a system architecture combining nebulization of the analytes from solution, their efficient transfer and focusing without relying on electromagnetic fields, and the mass measurements of individual particles using nanomechanical resonator arrays. This system determined the mass distribution of ~30-megadalton polystyrene nanoparticles with high detection efficiency and effectively performed molecular mass measurements of empty or DNA-filled bacteriophage T5 capsids with masses up to 105 megadaltons using less than 1 picomole of sample and with an instrument resolution above 100.

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Quality factor enhancement on nanomechanical resonators utilizing stiction phenomena

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B Nanotechnology and Microelectronics Materials Processing Measurement and Phenomena ◽

10.1116/1.3660384 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 29 (6) ◽

pp. 06FE02 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hiroki Ashiba ◽

Reo Kometani ◽

Shin’ichi Warisawa ◽

Sunao Ishihara

Keyword(s):

Quality Factor ◽

Nanomechanical Resonators

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Hybrid Shape Memory Alloy-Based Nanomechanical Resonators for Ultrathin Film Elastic Properties Determination and Heavy Mass Spectrometry

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma12213593 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (21) ◽

pp. 3593 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stachiv ◽

Gan

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Shape Memory Alloy ◽

Shear Modulus ◽

Resonant Frequency ◽

Shape Memory ◽

Elastic Properties ◽

Ultrathin Film ◽

Q Factor ◽

Nanomechanical Resonator ◽

Nanomechanical Resonators

Micro-/nanomechanical resonators are often used in material science to measure the elastic properties of ultrathin films or mass spectrometry to estimate the mass of various chemical and biological molecules. Measurements with these sensors utilize changes in the resonant frequency of the resonator exposed to an investigated quantity. Their sensitivities are, therefore, determined by the resonant frequency. The higher resonant frequency and, correspondingly, higher quality factor (Q-factor) yield higher sensitivity. In solution, the resonant frequency (Q-factor) decreases causing a significant lowering of the achievable sensitivity. Hence, the nanomechanical resonator-based sensors mainly operate in a vacuum. Identification by nanomechanical resonator also requires an additional reference measurement on the identical unloaded resonator making experiments, due to limiting achievable accuracies in current nanofabrication processes, yet challenging. In addition, the mass spectrometry by nanomechanical resonator can be routinely performed for light analytes (i.e., analyte is modelled as a point particle). For heavy analytes such as bacteria clumps neglecting their stiffness result in a significant underestimation of determined mass values. In this work, we demonstrate the extraordinary capability of hybrid shape memory alloy (SMA)-based nanomechanical resonators to i) notably tune the resonant frequencies and improve Q-factor of the resonator immersed in fluid, ii) determine the Young’s (shear) modulus of prepared ultrathin film only from frequency response of the resonator with sputtered film, and iii) perform heavy analyte mass spectrometry by monitoring shift in frequency of just a single vibrational mode. The procedures required to estimate the Young’s (shear) modulus of ultrathin film and the heavy analyte mass from observed changes in the resonant frequency caused by a phase transformation in SMA are developed and, afterward, validated using numerical simulations. The present results demonstrate the outstanding potential and capability of high frequency operating hybrid SMA-based nanomechanical resonators in sensing applications that can be rarely achieved by current nanomechanical resonator-based sensors.

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Single-particle mass spectrometry with arrays of frequency-addressed nanomechanical resonators

Nature Communications ◽

10.1038/s41467-018-05783-4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Eric Sage ◽

Marc Sansa ◽

Shawn Fostner ◽

Martial Defoort ◽

Marc Gély ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Single Particle ◽

Particle Mass ◽

Nanomechanical Resonators ◽

Single Particle Mass Spectrometry

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Electrophoresis assisted time-of-flow mass spectrometry using hollow nanomechanical resonators

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-017-03846-y ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Swathi Chaudhari ◽

Kamalesh Chaudhari ◽

Seokbeom Kim ◽

Faheem Khan ◽

Jungchul Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Nanomechanical Resonators

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Modeling the Electrostatic Actuation of Nanomechanical Pillar Dimers

Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.3389/fmech.2020.611590 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 ◽

Author(s):

Andreas Kainz ◽

Roman Beigelbeck ◽

Silvan Schmid

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

External Field ◽

Single Molecule ◽

Electrostatic Actuation ◽

Major Obstacle ◽

Sensor Technology ◽

Vibrational Motion ◽

Electrostatic Forces ◽

Promising Alternative ◽

Nanomechanical Resonators

With their unparalleled mass sensitivity, enabling single-molecule mass spectrometry, nanomechanical resonators have the potential to considerably improve existing sensor technology. Vertical pillar resonators are a promising alternative to the existing lateral resonator designs. However, one major obstacle still stands in the way of their practical use: The efficient transduction (actuation & detection) of the vibrational motion of such tiny structures, even more so when large arrays of such nanopillars need to be driven. While electrostatic forces are typically weak and, on the nanoscale even weaker when compared to a cantilever-like stiffness, it is worth revisiting the possibility of electrostatic actuation of nanomechanical pillars and other nanomechanical structures. In this paper, these forces produced by an external field are studied both analytically and numerically, and their dependencies on the geometric dimensions are discussed. Furthermore, the expected deflections for different configurations of pillar geometries are calculated and compared.

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How SIMS microscopy can be used in medicine

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100132649 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1602-1603

Author(s):

Philippe Fragu

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Biomedical Applications ◽

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽

Chemical Elements ◽

Biological Applications ◽

The Past ◽

Potential Source ◽

Secondary Ion ◽

Chemical Integrity ◽

Scientific Endeavour

The identification, localization and quantification of intracellular chemical elements is an area of scientific endeavour which has not ceased to develop over the past 30 years. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) microscopy is widely used for elemental localization problems in geochemistry, metallurgy and electronics. Although the first commercial instruments were available in 1968, biological applications have been gradual as investigators have systematically examined the potential source of artefacts inherent in the method and sought to develop strategies for the analysis of soft biological material with a lateral resolution equivalent to that of the light microscope. In 1992, the prospects offered by this technique are even more encouraging as prototypes of new ion probes appear capable of achieving the ultimate goal, namely the quantitative analysis of micron and submicron regions. The purpose of this review is to underline the requirements for biomedical applications of SIMS microscopy.Sample preparation methodology should preserve both the structural and the chemical integrity of the tissue.

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Imaging of Al-Li-Cu alloys with a Scanning Ion Microprobe

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100135174 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 314-315

Author(s):

K.K. Soni ◽

D.B. Williams ◽

J.M. Chabala ◽

R. Levi-Setti ◽

D.E. Newbury

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽

Equilibrium Phase ◽

Icosahedral Symmetry ◽

Ion Microprobe ◽

X Ray ◽

Cu Alloys ◽

Two Phases ◽

The University ◽

Secondary Ion

In contrast to the inability of x-ray microanalysis to detect Li, secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) generates a very strong Li+ signal. The latter’s potential was recently exploited by Williams et al. in the study of binary Al-Li alloys. The present study of Al-Li-Cu was done using the high resolution scanning ion microprobe (SIM) at the University of Chicago (UC). The UC SIM employs a 40 keV, ∼70 nm diameter Ga+ probe extracted from a liquid Ga source, which is scanned over areas smaller than 160×160 μm2 using a 512×512 raster. During this experiment, the sample was held at 2 × 10-8 torr.In the Al-Li-Cu system, two phases of major importance are T1 and T2, with nominal compositions of Al2LiCu and Al6Li3Cu respectively. In commercial alloys, T1 develops a plate-like structure with a thickness <∼2 nm and is therefore inaccessible to conventional microanalytical techniques. T2 is the equilibrium phase with apparent icosahedral symmetry and its presence is undesirable in industrial alloys.

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