Recent News 
22 June 2009 Micromechanical drumhead resonators for pressure sensing
A new paper has been published from D.R. Southworth et al. entitled, "Pressure dependent resonant frequency of micromechanical drumhead resonators," in Applied Physics Letters. These devices were found to be excellent pressure sensors, giving a linear response in frequency shift from pressures of roughly one hundredth of an atmosphere up to nearly 4 atmospheres.
15 May 2009 Recent research selected for inclusion in the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology
A paper recently published by P. S. Waggoner et al., High-Q, in-plane modes of nanomechanical resonators operated in air, has been chosen for virtual publication in the May 18th issue of the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology, published by the AIP and APS in cooperation with others to compile outstanding research in this field across many journals.
This marks the second publication from the Craighead Group recently highlighted in this virtual journal, joining the recently published The relationship between material properties, device design, and the sensitivity of resonant mechanical sensors, included in the March 23rd issue.
05 May 2009 New paper published on high-Q, in-plane resonators operated in air
Recent results showing that side-to-side vibration of nanomechanical resonators feature high quality factors at atmospheric pressures have been published by P. S. Waggoner et al. in the Journal of Applied Physics, DOI:10.1063/1.3123767. These trampoline-shaped devices are promising for sensor applications at high/atmospheric pressures, and suggest that this in-plane resonant mode can be beneficial for other resonator designs as well.
28 Apr 2009 Recent aptamer publication featured as "Hot Article" by RSC
A recently published paper from S.-M. Park et al. in Lab on a Chip DOI:10.1039/b819905a has been featured on the Royal Society of Chemistry website as a "Hot Article." This work describes a microfluidic device used to select and purify aptamers using individually addressable sol-gel capture droplets which can capture specific aptamers but later be removed with integrated heaters. This chip-based method shows promising results for improving the way aptamers are developed and prepared.
07 Apr 2009 Sugar-based microfluidics paper featured on cover of Soft Matter
A recently published paper from Leon Bellan et al. using cotton candy to form dense microfluidic channels for artificial tissue in Soft Matter DOI:10.1039/b819905a has been featured on the front cover of issue 7 (Vol. 5, 2009).
09 Mar 2009 Relationship Between the Design and Sensitivity of Resonant Sensors
A new paper has been published by Philip S. Waggoner and Harold G. Craighead in the Journal of Applied Physics, DOI:10.1063/1.3079793, looking into how resonator design affects the detection mechanism and sensitivity of the sensor. Notably, traditional cantilever devices were shown to not always be the most sensitive, and it was suggested that in most resonant biosensing applications, only the bound mass would be detected rather than stiffness.
Update: This paper has been selected for inclusion in the 23 Mar 2009 issue of the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology.
03 Mar 2009 RSS News Feed now available
Now recent news and publications from the Craighead Group can now be read using RSS 2.0/XML news feed! Subscribe using the xml link above.
27 Feb 2009 New Craighead Group Website Launched
The website has been given a new look, the content has been updated, and some improved features and content have been added. It will continue to be polished in near future, and older content archives will be posted gradually. If you have comments or suggestions, please send a note to the webmaster.
25 Feb 2009 Cotton Candy Can Help Labs Grow Tissue, featured in Discovery News
In an effort to improve the relatively thick artificial tissue implants, a cotton candy based approach has been developed to form a widespread and interconnected network of microfluidic channels. This research was published by Leon M. Bellan et al. in the journal Soft Matter DOI:10.1039/b819905a
This work was also highlighted in a video feature on the Discovery Channel program Daily Planet.