Vibrating FRET-Based Nanomechanical Sensor Preparation and Characterization for Environmental Monitoring Applications

In this study, the recently introduced graphene nanomechanical sensor design based on the vibrating Förster resonance energy transfer (VFRET) was experimentally demonstrated for the first time. VFRET was realized by the dynamic FRET between quantum dots on vibrating graphene layers. Graphene nanomechanical membranes were fabricated and experimentally analyzed with quantum dots donor and acceptor material loads. The loaded membranes were paired in the VFRET based sensor device structure. The FRET and the VFRET tests were applied to the prepared devices, experimental challenges and the device development solutions were utilized. Novel technology and the future applications of the VFRET based sensor examples were discussed with the advanced capabilities of sensing nano- and micro-scale particles around the device for the real-time point-of-care (PoC), and the environmental monitoring applications include imaging, monitoring and tracking of intra- or inter- cellular mechanical processes as the nanophotonic applications by exploiting the VFRET based nanoscale sensor design.