Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection

Abstract We examine the performance of nanomechanical resonators for mass and stiffness sensing of nanoparticulate analytes with focus on their application for untargeted infectious virus detection. The characteristic narrow mass distributions of viruses, together with the existing correlations betw...

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Main Authors: Manuel Gómez-Moreno, Juan Molina, José J. Ruz, Óscar Malvar, Javier Tamayo, Montserrat Calleja, Álvaro San Paulo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-07-01
Series:Discover Nano
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-025-04295-7
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author Manuel Gómez-Moreno
Juan Molina
José J. Ruz
Óscar Malvar
Javier Tamayo
Montserrat Calleja
Álvaro San Paulo
author_facet Manuel Gómez-Moreno
Juan Molina
José J. Ruz
Óscar Malvar
Javier Tamayo
Montserrat Calleja
Álvaro San Paulo
author_sort Manuel Gómez-Moreno
collection DOAJ
description Abstract We examine the performance of nanomechanical resonators for mass and stiffness sensing of nanoparticulate analytes with focus on their application for untargeted infectious virus detection. The characteristic narrow mass distributions of viruses, together with the existing correlations between their stiffness and infectivity, point out to nanomechanical sensors as a particularly suited alternative to molecular detection techniques, constrained by limited processing speed, target-specificity, and the inability to directly assess infectivity. We present a theoretical analysis of the response of flexural beam resonators to the adsorption of nanoparticulate analytes, and derive analytical expressions for the mass and stiffness sensing responsivity, resolution and signal to noise ratio as a function of the beam characteristics and analyte adsorption parameters. We demonstrate that both the mass and stiffness of viruses can contribute to resonance frequency shifts that significantly exceed the fundamental detection limits of beams with plausible dimensions and for realistic adsorption parameters. Particularly, stiffness resolution can reach levels well below the stiffness variations observed in some viruses as a consequence of maturation, enabling an integrated approach for infectivity assessment. We conclude that the practical application of nanomechanical spectrometry for infectious virus detection is not limited by the performance of state-of-the-art sensor technology, but by the efficiency of analyte delivery methods, encouraging future research on optimizing their implementation.
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issn 2731-9229
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series Discover Nano
spelling doaj-art-05b3f43eb0c840529da01134a5bf107e2025-08-20T03:46:16ZengSpringerDiscover Nano2731-92292025-07-0120111810.1186/s11671-025-04295-7Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detectionManuel Gómez-Moreno0Juan Molina1José J. Ruz2Óscar Malvar3Javier Tamayo4Montserrat Calleja5Álvaro San Paulo6Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Instituto de Micro y Nanotecnología, IMN-CNM, CSIC (CEI UAM+CSIC)Abstract We examine the performance of nanomechanical resonators for mass and stiffness sensing of nanoparticulate analytes with focus on their application for untargeted infectious virus detection. The characteristic narrow mass distributions of viruses, together with the existing correlations between their stiffness and infectivity, point out to nanomechanical sensors as a particularly suited alternative to molecular detection techniques, constrained by limited processing speed, target-specificity, and the inability to directly assess infectivity. We present a theoretical analysis of the response of flexural beam resonators to the adsorption of nanoparticulate analytes, and derive analytical expressions for the mass and stiffness sensing responsivity, resolution and signal to noise ratio as a function of the beam characteristics and analyte adsorption parameters. We demonstrate that both the mass and stiffness of viruses can contribute to resonance frequency shifts that significantly exceed the fundamental detection limits of beams with plausible dimensions and for realistic adsorption parameters. Particularly, stiffness resolution can reach levels well below the stiffness variations observed in some viruses as a consequence of maturation, enabling an integrated approach for infectivity assessment. We conclude that the practical application of nanomechanical spectrometry for infectious virus detection is not limited by the performance of state-of-the-art sensor technology, but by the efficiency of analyte delivery methods, encouraging future research on optimizing their implementation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-025-04295-7
spellingShingle Manuel Gómez-Moreno
Juan Molina
José J. Ruz
Óscar Malvar
Javier Tamayo
Montserrat Calleja
Álvaro San Paulo
Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
Discover Nano
title Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
title_full Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
title_fullStr Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
title_full_unstemmed Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
title_short Mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators: viability of infectious virus detection
title_sort mass and stiffness sensing performance of nanomechanical resonators viability of infectious virus detection
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-025-04295-7
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