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Intellectual Property Office

Non-Confidential Disclosures

“Carbon Nanotube-Quartz Resonator with Sub-Femtogram Mass Resolution for Sensor Applications”

PSU Inv. Disc. No 2927
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Carbon

Field of the Invention/Keywords:

Nanotechnology Sensor, Analyte Detection, Quartz Cyrstal Microbalance

Inventors:

Peter Eklund, Srinivas Tadigadapa, Abhijat Goyal

Links:

Inventor Website - 1
Inventor Website - 2

Background:

Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCMs) are used in wide array of applications because of their high sensitivity. However, current technology limits the sensitivity of the device between a nanogram and a picogram (10-9-10-12). Furthermore, current QCM technology does not allow multiple analyte detection.

Invention description:

The present invention allows mass detection typically in the femtogram range and can be used to detect mass of a few attograms. It is possible to extend the device operation in zeptogram range. This makes our current device 1,000 - 1,000,000 more sensitive than any other device in the market. Also, techniques have been developed which increase the quality factor of the device by at least 100%. The versatility of the invention comes from the fact that the techniques developed enable functionalization of the sensors, allowing not only sensitive but also specific analyte detection. Additionally, the sensors have been engineered to have a surface roughness of the order of ~1 nm, allowing analyte detection in aqueous environments.

Advantages:

  • Allows both temporal and spatial biochemical sensing at any given instant
  • Internal compensatory mechanisms for drift and aging
  • Potential to be 1,000,000 times more sensitive than any other device on the market
  • Configurable as a handheld device with associated circuitry
  • Robust, can be used in a variety of environments

Contact:

Richard M. Weyer
Sr. Technology Licensing Officer
Intellectual Property Office
113 Technology Center
The Pennsylvania State Univ.
University Park, PA 16802-7000
Phone: (814) 865-6279
Fax: (814) 865-3591
E-mail:rmw4@psu.edu