Fabrication and mechanical characterization of a force sensor based on an individual carbon nanotube

We demonstrate the design and calibration of an individual carbon nanotube (CNT) based mechanical force sensor for measuring cell wall compliance. The device fabrication and in situ mechanical characterization were carried out using a micromanipulator inside a scanning electron microscope. This simple device acts as a micro-cantilever beam and consists of a tungsten probe with a CNT attached to its tip, while the other end of the CNT supports a polystyrene microsphere. We have calculated the bending modulus of individual multi-walled carbon nanotubes from the calibration tests. These values agree with those available in the literature