research: introduction | mechanical spectroscopy

Nanoscale Molecular Mechanics

It is well known in molecular biology that nature exploits nanoscale structures and mechanics for determining the properties and functions of biomolecules. These properties are significantly influenced by nanoscale molecular mechanics.

One of the grand challenges facing nanoscale science community is gaining the fundamental understanding of mechanical processes at the molecular level and exploiting the principles in order to design and develop nanoscale sensors, devices, machines and transducers with an efficiency that surpasses what has been achieved to-date.

Structure and mechanics plays an important role in many biochemically important processes, for example oxygenation of hemoglobin in order to sustain life. The realization that many molecular phenomena are manifest in mechanical responses at the nanoscale offers unprecedented potential for developing sensors, machines, and other devices.

| introduction | mechanical spectroscopy

Mechanical Spectroscopy

In addition to adsorption-induced forces, mechanical responses can also be obtained for existing adsorbed species. Interaction of adsorbed molecules with electromagnetic radiation results in selective excitation of certain modes of an adsorbed species resulting in energy dissipation. The absorbance of radiation manifests itself as mechanical stress (and thus bending) on a microcantilever. This produces mechanical absorption spectra that inherently provide chemical speciation.