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Mass sensors

Weighing single atoms with a nanotube

Nature Nanotechnology volume 3, pages 525–526 (2008)Cite this article

Researchers have used a vibrating carbon nanotube to set a new record for nanomechanical mass sensing. Could this approach — currently being pursued by three independent groups — lead to a new type of mass spectrometer?

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Figure 1: Three groups have shown that nanotube mass sensors are capable of atomic resolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Robert G. Knobel is in the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6. knobel@physics.queensu.ca,

    Robert G. Knobel

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  1. Robert G. Knobel
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Knobel, R. Weighing single atoms with a nanotube. Nature Nanotech 3, 525–526 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2008.250

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