Bridged single-walled carbon nanotube-based atomic-scale mass sensors

Abstract

The potentials of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as mechanical resonators for atomic-scale mass sensing are presented. To this aim, a nonlocal continuum-based model is proposed to study the dynamic behavior of bridged single-walled carbon nanotube-based mass nanosensors. The carbon nanotube (CNT) is considered as an elastic Euler–Bernoulli beam with von Karman type geometric nonlinearity. Eringen’s nonlocal elastic field theory is utilized to model the interatomic long-range interactions within the structure of the CNT. This developed model accounts for the arbitrary position of the deposited atomic-mass. The natural frequencies and associated mode shapes are determined based on an eigenvalue problem analysis. An atom of xenon (Xe) is first considered as a specific case where the results show that the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the CNT are strongly dependent on the location of the deposited Xe and the nonlocal parameter of the CNT. It is also indicated that the first vibrational mode is the most sensitive when the mass is deposited at the middle of a single-walled carbon nanotube. However, when deposited in other locations, it is demonstrated that the second or third vibrational modes may be more sensitive. To investigate the sensitivity of bridged single-walled CNTs as mass sensors, different noble gases are considered, namely Xe, argon (Ar), and helium (He). It is shown that the sensitivity of the single-walled CNT to the Ar and He gases is much lower than the Xe gas due to the significant decrease in their masses. The derived model and performed analysis are so needed for mass sensing applications and particularly when the detected mass is randomly deposited.