The Diamond Nano-Balance

Detecting nano-gram quantities of analyte in the liquid or gas phase is crucial for pathogen detection, antigen/DNA detection, water monitoring, electrochemical analysis, and many other bio-electrochemical applications. The quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) has become a significant sensor for both liquid and gas phase graviometry due to its high sensitivity, robustness, ease of use and simultaneous electrochemistry capabilities. One key factor plaguing the QCM in most sensor applications is the stability of the surface functionalisation. Diamond offers the most stable surface for functionalisation, the widest electrochemical window and the lowest noise floor. Unfortunately the growth of diamond on QCMs is problematic due to the low curie point of quartz, resulting in the loss of the piezoelectric properties of the QCM. In this work the replacement of the quartz with a high temperature stable piezoelectric material is proposed, and a nanocrystalline diamond coated sensor demonstrated.