Nanomechanics from atomic resolution to molecular recognition based on atomic force microscopy technology

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a technique to image surfaces with unprecedented vertical and lateral resolution. Many related techniques have been derived from AFM, taking advantage of local interactions between a tip on a cantilever and a surface. However, cantilevers can also be used for sensing applications. These so-called nanosensors feature extreme sensitivity for the detection of chemical vapours or adsorption of molecules. Upon adsorption to the cantilever surface, the molecules cause the cantilever to bend. Thus physical, chemical or biochemical processes are directly transduced into nanomechanical motion. We show that measurement of the deflection of a single cantilever might be misleading. Reliable information can only be obtained by using a sensor cantilever and at least one reference cantilever integrated into an array. We have built an electronic nose using polymer layers as partially selective cantilever coatings to recognize chemical vapours and odours by evaluating the cantilevers’ bending pattern. Major applications lie in the fields of process and quality control, biosensing, medical diagnostics, molecular recognition and proteomics.