Limits of Nanomechanical Resonators

The authors have constructed nanotube-based nanomechanical resonators designed to investigate the upper limits of nanomechanical resonator frequency and quality factor. The ultra-high-frequency resonator relies on abacus-style inertial clamps of metal deposited along the length of the nanotube beam to shorten its effective length and thus raise its resonant frequency. The high-Q nanoresonator design utilizes the unique telescoping property of multiwalled carbon nanotubes to obtain a pristine surface, which may help reduce dissipation.