Nanoscale mass sensing based on vibration of single-layered graphene sheet in thermal environments

Based on vibration analysis, single-layered graphene sheet (SLGS) with multiple attached nanoparticles is developed as nanoscale mass sensor in thermal environments. Graphene sensors are assumed to be in simply-supported configuration. Based on the nonlocal plate theory which incorporates size effects into the classical theory, closed-form expressions for the frequencies and relative frequency shifts of SLGS-based mass sensor are derived using the Galerkin method. The suggested model is justified by a good agreement between the results given by the present model and available data in literature. The effects of temperature difference, nonlocal parameter, the location of the nanoparticle and the number of nanoparticles on the relative frequency shift of the mass sensor are also elucidated. The obtained results show that the sensitivity of the SLGS-based mass sensor increases with increasing temperature difference.