Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation

Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) is a novel technology for the analysis of surface phenomena, which provides a real-time and label-free method of studying macromolecule adsorption and/or interaction on various surfaces with high sensitivity (1 ng/cm2). In recent years, the development of QCM-D instruments and mathematical modeling techniques has enabled a dramatic boost in QCM-D's novel applications in biomaterial research. In this chapter, we first explain the instrumentation and theory behind the QCM-D platform. Then some well-studied areas of application are introduced, including real-time monitoring adsorption and desorption kinetics; thickness, hydration and structural changes of attached biopolymers layers; mechanisms and kinetic studies of specific immunoassays; studies of the affinity of nanoscaled materials to biomolecules; and so on. Plenty of studies have also reported the design of a QCM-D sensor for immunosensing, with high specificity and sensitivity for food, agricultural and pharmaceutical applications.