Abstract

In this study, we have used arrays of piezoresistive nanomechanical membrane resonators (NMRs) to detect IgG1 antibody. The NMR consists of a membrane suspended by four piezoresistive sensing components. Unlike conventional cantilever mass sensors, our sensors retain a uniform mass sensitivity over the membrane surface. According to the experiments, it was revealed that NMRs have mass sensitivities in the order of 25 Hz/pg in air and 1.8 Hz/pg in liquid. This matter allows them to detect IgG1 over a wide range of concentrations from 100 pg/mL to 10 μg/mL in a background of human serum albumin (HSA) at 1 mg/ml. This indicates the fact that the self-sensing NMR approach is beneficial for detecting disease markers. Moreover, the performance of the NMR was compared with other detection methods, and the results indicated a better performance for NMR. © 2016 Omidi et al.