Material limitations of carbon-nanotube inertial balances: on the possibility of intrinsic yoctogram mass resolution at room temperature
Abstract
We present a theoretical study of the intrinsic quality factor of the fundamental flexural vibration in a carbon nanotube and its dependence on temperature, radius, length and tension. In particular, we examine three- and four-phonon decays of the fundamental flexural mode within quantized elasticity theory. This analysis reveals design principles for the construction of ultrasensitive nanotube mass sensors: under tensions close to the elastic limit, intrinsic losses allow for single yoctogram mass resolution at room temperature, while cooling opens the possibility of sub-yoctogram mass resolution.
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