Selective Weighing of Individual Microparticles Using a Hybrid Micromanipulator-Nanomechanical Resonator System

We report a system based on a combination of a micromanipulator and a cantilever-based differential resonator for selecting and weighing individual micro-scale particles. Instead of relying on probabilistic attachment of particles on sensor surfaces, the system can specifically select and weigh individual micro-entities. The micromanipulator is able to move particles from a native media to the surface of a resonator that can weigh particles with pg-level resolution. The system allows individually manipulating and weighing a wide variety of entities that can be visualized under a microscope, ranging from cell spheres to spore clusters and single diatom algae.