US 6,668,652 B2 · Nano-substance mass measurement method and apparatus

Abstract

A method for measuring the mass of nano-substances including the steps of gripping a nano-substance with a nanotweezer gripping portion made of a plurality of nanotubes, resonating the nanotweezer gripping portion in this gripping state, measuring a resulting first characteristic frequency, and obtaining the mass of the gripped nano-substance by comparing the first and second characteristic frequencies, where the second characteristic frequency is the characteristic frequency of the nanotweezer gripping portion with no nano-substance gripped thereby. The gripping portion is caused to resonate electrically by applying an AC voltage between the nanotweezer gripping portion and an electrode disposed near the nanotweezer gripping portion. The gripping portion is caused also to resonate mechanically by way of expanding and contracting a piezo-electric element disposed on a main body that supports the nanotweezer gripping portion.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A nano-substance mass measurement method that uses nanotweezers capable of gripping and releasing nano-size nano-substances, said method comprising the steps of:

gripping a nano-substance with nanotweezer gripping portions of said nanotweezers,
causing said nanotweezer gripping portions thus gripping said nano-substance to resonate, and measuring a resulting characteristic resonant frequency fm, and
obtaining a mass of said nano-substance gripped by comparing said characteristic frequency fm and a characteristic resonant frequency fo, said fo being a characteristic frequency fo of said gripping portions in which no nano-substance is gripped thereby.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Nano-substance mass measurement method and apparatus

Life of this patent

Nano-substance mass measurement method and apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6