Graphene nano-electromechanical mass sensor with high resolution at room temperature

• Published in: iScience 2023-02, Vol.26 (2), p.105958-105958, Article 105958
• Main Authors: Shin, Dong Hoon, Kim, Hakseong, Kim, Sung Hyun, Cheong, Hyeonsik, Steeneken, Peter G., Joo, Chirlmin, Lee, Sang Wook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Materials class; Nanomaterials; Sensor
• ISSN: 2589-0042; 2589-0042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105958

The inherent properties of 2D materials—light mass, high out-of-plane flexibility, and large surface area—promise great potential for precise and accurate nanomechanical mass sensing, but their application is often hampered by surface contamination. Here we demonstrate a tri-layer graphene nanomechanical resonant mass sensor with sub-attogram resolution at room temperature, fabricated by a bottom-up process. We found that Joule-heating is effective in cleaning the graphene membrane surface, which results in a large improvement in the stability of the resonance frequency. We characterized the sensor by depositing Cr metal using a stencil mask and found a mass-resolution that is sufficient to weigh very small particles, like large proteins and protein complexes, with potential applications in the fields of nanobiology and medicine. [Display omitted] •A nanomechanical graphene mass sensor (GMS) is demonstrated•Joule heating improves the resonance frequency, frequency stability and Q factor•Sub-attogram mass resolution is achieved at room temperature•Potential applications of GMS in the nanobiology and medicine fields are proposed Materials class; Nanomaterials; Sensor