Single particles as resonators for thermomechanical analysis

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 1235
• Main Authors: Okeyo, Peter Ouma, Larsen, Peter Emil, Kissi, Eric Ofosu, Ajalloueian, Fatemeh, Rades, Thomas, Rantanen, Jukka, Boisen, Anja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 06.03.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 132/124; 631/154/2426; 639/301/54/1754; 639/766/930/12; Biomedical materials; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical - instrumentation; Cleanrooms; Collagen; Collagen - chemistry; Crystallization; Equipment Design; Fabrication; Humanities and Social Sciences; Materials Testing - instrumentation; Mechanical properties; Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems; Microelectromechanical systems; multidisciplinary; Nanoelectromechanical systems; Phase Transition; Resonators; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Theophylline - chemistry; Thermal analysis; Thermal cycling; Thermomechanical analysis; Thermomechanical properties
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15028-y

Thermal methods are indispensable for the characterization of most materials. However, the existing methods require bulk amounts for analysis and give an averaged response of a material. This can be especially challenging in a biomedical setting, where only very limited amounts of material are initially available. Nano- and microelectromechanical systems (NEMS/MEMS) offer the possibility of conducting thermal analysis on small amounts of materials in the nano-microgram range, but cleanroom fabricated resonators are required. Here, we report the use of single drug and collagen particles as micro mechanical resonators, thereby eliminating the need for cleanroom fabrication. Furthermore, the proposed method reveals additional thermal transitions that are undetected by standard thermal methods and provide the possibility of understanding fundamental changes in the mechanical properties of the materials during thermal cycling. This method is applicable to a variety of different materials and opens the door to fundamental mechanistic insights. Eliminating the need for cleanroom fabrication for thermomechanical characterization of organic samples in a biomedical setting remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose the use of a single drug and collagen particles as resonators, enabling direct measurements on a material during thermal cycling.