Abstract
The identification of species is a fundamental problem in analytical chemistry and biology. Mass spectrometers identify species by their molecular mass with extremely high sensitivity (<10−24 g). However, its application is usually limited to light analytes (<10−19 g). Here we demonstrate that by using nanomechanical resonators, heavier analytes can be identified by their mass and stiffness. The method is demonstrated with spherical gold nanoparticles and whole intact E. coli bacteria delivered by electrospray ionization to microcantilever resonators placed in low vacuum at 0.1 torr. We develop a theoretical procedure for obtaining the mass, position and stiffness of the analytes arriving the resonator from the adsorption-induced eigenfrequency jumps. These results demonstrate the enormous potential of this technology for identification of large biological complexes near their native conformation, a goal that is beyond the capabilities of conventional mass spectrometers.
Highlights
The identification of species is a fundamental problem in analytical chemistry and biology
The unparalleled attributes of nanomechanical resonators have motivated a new paradigm of Mass spectrometry (MS), referred to as nanomechanical spectrometry that enables the measurement of the mass of entire analytes with no need of charge state characterization[9,10,11]
As each analyte adsorbs on the mechanical resonator, abrupt resonance frequency downshifts are observed that are proportional to the ratio of the analyte mass to the device mass with a proportionality constant that depends on the adsorption position
Summary
The identification of species is a fundamental problem in analytical chemistry and biology. We perform nanomechanical spectrometry of 100 nm-sized gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and Escherichia coli DH5a cells using microcantilever resonators. We develop theoretical methods that enable the determination of the stiffness, mass and position of the analytes arriving the microcantilever from the resonance frequency jumps.
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