Nanomechanical resonators have emerged as sensors with exceptional sensitivities. These sensing capabilities open new possibilities in the studies of the thermodynamic properties in condensed matter. Here, we use mechanical sensing as a novel approach to measure the thermal properties of low-dimensional materials. We measure the temperature dependence of both the thermal conductivity and the specific heat capacity of a transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayer down to cryogenic temperature, something that has not been achieved thus far with a single nanoscale object. These measurements show how heat is transported by phonons in two-dimensional systems. Both the thermal conductivity and the specific heat capacity measurements are consistent with predictions based on first-principles.
We
report on a nanomechanical engineering method to monitor matter
growth in real time via e-beam electromechanical coupling. This method
relies on the exceptional mass sensing capabilities of nanomechanical
resonators. Focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) is employed
to selectively grow platinum particles at the free end of singly clamped
nanotube cantilevers. The electron beam has two functions: it allows
both to grow material on the nanotube and to track in real time the
deposited mass by probing the noise-driven mechanical resonance of
the nanotube. On the one hand, this detection method is highly effective
as it can resolve mass deposition with a resolution in the zeptogram
range; on the other hand, this method is simple to use and readily
available to a wide range of potential users because it can be operated
in existing commercial FEBID systems without making any modification.
The presented method allows one to engineer hybrid nanomechanical
resonators with precisely tailored functionalities. It also appears
as a new tool for studying the growth dynamics of ultrathin nanostructures,
opening new opportunities for investigating so far out-of-reach physics
of FEBID and related methods.
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