Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D): Real-Time Characterization of Nano-Scale Interactions at Surfaces

There has been an increasing demand for analytical tools to quantify the interactions and/or reactions of nanoscale particles, polymers and bio-molecules, with a variety of surfaces, in real time. Understanding the behavior of such molecules at the nano-scale enables researchers to optimize the conditions for desired results at macro scale. Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation Monitoring (QCM-D), a nanomechanical acoustic-based analytical technique, provides in-situ, real-time characterization of materials at interfaces. The present report is focused on applications of the QCM-D technique in real-time characterization of Au/Ag nanoparticle adsorption, and the interaction of various biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, and viruses with other biological materials, polymers or inorganic surfaces.