Recent studies on applications of nanoresonators in sensors and molecular transportation

Abstract

Recently, interests have been orientated toward the development of nano-electromechanical systems such as nanoresonators. The ultra-high-frequency of nanoresonators facilitates a wide range of new applications such as ultra-high sensitive sensors, molecular transportation, high-frequency signal processing, biological imaging, quantum measurement and radio frequency communications. In this study, applications of nanoresonators in sensors and molecular transportation are introduced and reviewed. Studies on nanoresonator sensors made of carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets for detection of atoms/molecules based on vibration and wave propagation analyses are outlined. The principle of the nano-sensors is to detect shifts in resonant frequencies or the wave velocities in the sensors caused by surrounding foreign atoms or molecules. Furthermore, the feasibility of molecular transportation using propagation of torsional and impulse waves in nano-resonator devices is presented. An extended application of the transportation methods for building nanofiltering systems with ultra-high selectivity is survived. The article aims to provide a state-of-the-art introduction of the potential of resonators made of carbon nanotubes and graphene sheets, and inspire further applications of the nanoresonators.