Mechanics and transport at nanoscale: towards new sensor technology

拨动乐器时，琴弦会以特有的音高或共振频率振动。增加琴弦的重量（或选择较粗的琴弦）可以切换到较低的频率。 纳米谐振器 - 直径低于千分之一毫米的弦或棒，在增加的重量小至几个生物分子的情况下，显示出可测量的谐振频率变化。 癌症、急性炎症和衰老神经退行性疾病等疾病状态的生物传感将极大地受益于纳米谐振器的这种非凡的敏感性，这将使得早期检测或灵敏的治疗监测成为可能。 这些将为患者带来更好的结果并降低医疗成本。 所提出的对稀薄环境中纳米谐振器材料机械性能和空气阻尼力的研究将有助于生物传感器设计，并将贡献材料和流体科学方面的基础知识，具有广泛的适用性。

A string on a musical instrument vibrates at a characteristic pitch, or resonance frequency, when plucked; adding weight to the string (or choosing a thicker string) allows shift to a lower frequency. Nanoresonators - strings or rods of diameter below a thousandth of a millimetre, show a measurable change in resonance frequency with added weight as small as that of a few biomolecules. Biosensing for disease states such as cancer, acute inflammation and neurodegeneration in aging will greatly benefit from this extraordinary sensitivity of nanoresonators, which will enable early detection or sensitive treatment-monitoring. These would lead to better outcomes for patients and to reduced healthcare costs. The proposed studies of mechanical properties of materials and of air damping forces for nanoresonators in a rarefied environment, will aid biosensor design and will contribute fundamental knowledge in materials and fluid science, with broad applicability.