Microcantilever: an efficient tool for biosensing applications

Most of the biosensing applications involving analysis and detection of a particular specimen demands fast, easy to use, less expensive, highly reliable and sensitive method for the recognition of biomolecules. The reason behind this increasing demand is that most of the available laboratory equipment require large space, are highly expensive and have other preconditions. Most of the viscometers available for measuring the rheological properties of blood require cleaning after each use which can be challenging due to the capillary geometry. The substitute to this is microcantilever that has emerged as an ideal candidate for biosensing applications. Microcantilever is capable of being used in air, vacuum or liquid medium. This paper consists of seven sections in which working principle of a cantilever, different modes of vibration, their comparative analysis, analytical equations of hydrodynamic equations exerted by the fluid on the cantilever and their impact on the resonant frequency and quality factor, applications of microcantilever in liquid medium specifically in biomedical field are discussed.