Dynamical Response of Nanomechanical Resonators to Biomolecular Interactions

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical study of how nanomechanical resonators respond dynamically to biomolecular adsorption, revealing that frequency shifts depend on both mass and molecular interactions, with implications for biomolecule quantification.

Contribution

The study introduces a theoretical model that accounts for biomolecular interactions affecting the resonant frequency shift of nanomechanical resonators.

Findings

Frequency shift depends on biomolecular mass and interactions.

Ionic strength influences DNA adsorption effects.

Resonators can quantify biomolecular mass and interactions.

Abstract

We studied the dynamical response of a nanomechanical resonator to biomolecular (e.g. DNA) adsorptions on a resonator's surface by using a theoretical model, which considers the Hamiltonian H such that the potential energy consists of elastic bending energy of a resonator and the potential energy for biomolecular interactions. It was shown that the resonant frequency shift of a resonator due to biomolecular adsorption depends on not only the mass of adsorbed biomolecules but also the biomolecular interactions. Specifically, for dsDNA adsorption on a resonator's surface, the resonant frequency shift is also dependent on the ionic strength of a solvent, implying the role of molecular interactions on the dynamic behavior of a resonator. This indicates that nanomechanical resonators may enable one to quantify the biomolecular mass, implying the enumeration of biomolecules, as well as gain insight into intermolecular interactions between adsorbed biomolecules on the surface.