Portable cantilever-based airborne nanoparticle detector

A portable cantilever-based airborne nanoparticle detector (CANTOR) was designed and manufactured for detecting engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in workplace air by monitoring the resonant frequency shift induced by the mass of the particles trapped on the cantilever resonator. The CANTOR consists of two main modules, i.e., a silicon resonant cantilever sensor and a miniaturized electrostatic ENP sampler. Tested in 15-min aerosol sampling with ∼100 nm carbon-based ENPs having a concentration of ∼6000 NPs/cm3, the sensor exhibited a mass sensitivity of 36.51 Hz/ng when the second resonant mode was used. Two simple cleaning methods, i.e., dry and wet cleanings, to remove the attached ENPs were successfully demonstrated in order to extend the operating life of the sensor.