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Wednesday, 29th July 2009 (1121 views)

Three-dimensional gold nanoparticles have played a key role in research that could eventually lead to the development of ultrasensitive nanoscale detectors capable of weighing a single atom.

Scientists from the University of Melbourne, the University of Chicago and the Argonne National Laboratory Center for Nanoscale Materials wanted to develop nano detectors because the smaller a device is, the more sensitive it is, Science Daily reports.

Nanomechanical mass sensors work by measuring changes in vibration frequency as mass is added.

Their sensitivity is closely linked to the amount of energy they displace. The researchers were therefore looking to determine how vibration damping - or loss of energy - is transmitted both within the nanostructure itself and to its liquid surroundings.

It had previously been impossible to determine the rate at which vibrations within gold nanoparticles are damped because of the different sizes and shapes of the particles studied.

By developing uniform, three-dimensional gold nanoparticles, the team has been able to accurately study the effects of energy loss on sensitivity.

Professor John Sader of the University of Melbourne said: "Our measurements and calculations provide insight into how energy is dissipated in devices that are truly nanoscale in all three dimensions."

Nanomechanical sensors could eventually be used in diagnostics to detect single molecules of viruses and other disease-causing agents.

 

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