About

Pritiraj Mohanty is a professor involved in research at Boston University, focusing on nanomechanical computing, functional nanomaterials, and wireless power transfer. His work explores the development of nanoscale devices and systems, including nanomechanical resonators, nanomechanical logic gates, and high-frequency nanomechanical switches, with an emphasis on energy-efficient and reversible computation. His research also encompasses the study of material properties at the nanoscale, such as spin mechanics, nonlinear optical effects in dielectric media, and dissipation processes in nanoelectromechanical systems. Professor Mohanty's group investigates brain-inspired computing using networks of coupled micromechanical oscillators, aiming to realize scalable, brain-like pattern recognition systems. His contributions include the design of reprogrammable nanomechanical logic gates, controllable high-speed memory elements, and wireless actuation of bulk acoustic modes in micromechanical resonators. His research extends to the development of wireless power transfer technologies, including microwave rectennas and optical wireless information transfer using nonlinear micromechanical resonators. Overall, his work advances the understanding and application of nanomechanical systems and functional nanomaterials for next-generation computing, energy transfer, and sensing technologies.

Research topics

• Optoelectronics
• Materials science
• Electrical engineering
• Computer Science
• Physics
• Optics
• Nanotechnology
• Acoustics
• Engineering
• Medicine
• Computational physics
• Chromatography
• Biochemistry
• Chemistry
• Engineering physics
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Radio Frequency Field-Induced Enhancement of Detection Sensitivity in Silicon Nanowire Sensors

  ArXiv.org · 2026-04-30

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Sensitive biomarker detection in physiological fluids is often limited by Debye screening, which suppresses electrostatic signals at sensor surfaces. Here we report a sensing approach based on flexoelectric resonance in silicon nanowire field-effect transistors. An applied radiofrequency field induces strain gradients in the nanowires, generating flexoelectric polarization that is amplified at resonant frequencies. This effect enhances the sensitivity of conductance measurements to small surface charge variations associated with biomolecular binding. Using C-reactive protein as a model biomarker, we observe an order-of-magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity compared to conventional operation, with a 62% conductance increase versus 30% without radiofrequency modulation. The high-frequency field also perturbs the electrical double layer, reducing Debye screening in high-ionic-strength environments. These combined effects enable direct biomarker detection without sample dilution. This work establishes flexoelectric resonance as a general strategy for improving nanoscale biosensing performance in physiologically relevant conditions.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Radio Frequency Field-Induced Enhancement of Detection Sensitivity in Silicon Nanowire Sensors

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-04-30

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Sensitive biomarker detection in physiological fluids is often limited by Debye screening, which suppresses electrostatic signals at sensor surfaces. Here we report a sensing approach based on flexoelectric resonance in silicon nanowire field-effect transistors. An applied radiofrequency field induces strain gradients in the nanowires, generating flexoelectric polarization that is amplified at resonant frequencies. This effect enhances the sensitivity of conductance measurements to small surface charge variations associated with biomolecular binding. Using C-reactive protein as a model biomarker, we observe an order-of-magnitude improvement in detection sensitivity compared to conventional operation, with a 62% conductance increase versus 30% without radiofrequency modulation. The high-frequency field also perturbs the electrical double layer, reducing Debye screening in high-ionic-strength environments. These combined effects enable direct biomarker detection without sample dilution. This work establishes flexoelectric resonance as a general strategy for improving nanoscale biosensing performance in physiologically relevant conditions.

  PublisherDOI

• Geometric percolation of spins and spin-dipoles in Ashkin-Teller model

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-11-18

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Ashkin-Teller model is a two-layer lattice model where spins in each layer interact ferromagnetically with strength $J$, and the spin-dipoles (product of spins) interact with neighbors with strength $λ.$ The model exhibits simultaneous magnetic and electric transitions along a self-dual line on the $λ$-$J$ plane with continuously varying critical exponents. In this article, we investigate the percolation of geometric clusters of spins and spin-dipoles denoted respectively as magnetic and electric clusters. We find that the largest cluster in both cases becomes macroscopic in size and spans the lattice when interaction exceeds a critical threshold given by the same self-dual line where magnetic and electric transitions occur. The fractal dimension of the critical spanning clusters is related to order parameter exponent $β_{m,e}$ as $D_{m,e}=d-\frac{5}{12}\frac{β_{m,e}}ν,$ where $d=2$ is the spatial dimension and $ν$ is the correlation length exponent. This relation determines all other percolation exponents and their variation wrt $λ.$ We show that for magnetic Percolation, the Binder cumulant, as a function of $ξ_2/L$ with $ξ_2$ being the second-moment correlation length, remains invariant all along the critical line and matches with that of the spin-percolation in the usual Ising model. The function also remains invariant for the electric percolation, forming a new superuniversality class of percolation transition.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Site-percolation transition of run-and-tumble particles

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-06-17 · 1 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  We study percolation transition of run and tumble particles (RTPs) on a two dimensional square lattice. RTPs in these models run to the nearest neighbour along their internal orientation with unit rate, and to other nearest neighbours with rates $p$. In addition, they tumble to change their internal orientation with rate $ω$. We show that for small tumble rates, RTP-clusters created by joining occupied nearest neighbours irrespective of their orientation form a phase separated state when the rate of positional diffusion $p$ crosses a threshold; with further increase of $p$ the clusters disintegrate and another transition to a mixed phase occurs. The critical exponents of this re-entrant site-percolation transition of RTPs vary continuously along the critical line in the $ω$-$p$ plane, but a scaling function remains invariant. This function is identical to the corresponding universal scaling function of percolation transition observed in the Ising model. We also show that the critical exponents of the underlying motility induced phase separation transition are related to corresponding percolation-critical-exponents by constant multiplicative factors known from the correspondence of magnetic and percolation critical exponents of the Ising model.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Alanine aminotransferase assay biosensor platform using silicon nanowire field effect transistors

  Communications Engineering · 2023 · 11 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Materials science
  • Nanotechnology
  • Optoelectronics

  Abstract Frequent monitoring of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity is essential to prevent drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Current ALT assays are restricted to centralized clinical laboratories, making frequent patient monitoring logistically difficult. To address this, we demonstrated the capability of commercial foundry manufactured silicon nanowire field effect transistor (SiNW-FET) biosensors in a form factor that enables frequent near-patient monitoring. Here, we designed an ALT assay, by coupling the ALT-catalyzed production of pyruvate to the reduction of ferricyanide, enabling both spectrophotometric and electrical measurement of ALT activity. The two methods yield comparable ALT activity detection across a dynamic range wide enough to monitor patients at risk for DILI. This study demonstrates kinetic activity measurement of an endogenous enzyme using uncoupled SiNW-FETs, and commercial manufacturing of SiNW-FET sensor arrays for use in a portable biosensor platform.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Investigating single event transients of advanced fin based devices for inclusion in ICs

  AEU - International Journal of Electronics and Communications · 2021 · 8 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Materials science
  • Optoelectronics
  PublisherDOI

• Performance Evaluation of 10nm SMG FinFET with Architectural Variation towards DC/RF and Temperature Aspects

  Silicon · 2020 · 4 citations

  • Materials science
  • Optoelectronics
  • Engineering physics
  PublisherDOI

• High-κ Dielectrics on 20nm FDSOI FinFET: Study on Analog and RF Performance

  2020 IEEE Calcutta Conference (CALCON) · 2020-02-01 · 2 citations

  article

  In this paper, a detailed comparative study of RF and analog performance of FinFET structure is reported for two different gate dielectric materials - SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> and HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> . Initially, the comparison of transfer characteristics of FinFET for both SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> and HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> is shown. The various analog parameters like transconductance (g <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">m</sub> ), transconductance generation factor (TGF), output conductance (g <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</sub> ), and intrinsic gain (g <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">m</sub> /g <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">d</sub> ) are also reported for both the gate dielectric materials. Likewise, a comparative analysis of various RF parameters such as gate capacitance (CGG), cut-off frequency (ft), transconductance frequency product (TFP), gain frequency product (GFP) and gain transconductance frequency product (GTFP) are reported between SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> and HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> . It is visualized that HfO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> -based gate dielectric device provides better analog performance, whereas, the device with SiO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> as gate dielectric shows improved RF parameters.

  PublisherDOI

• Measurement of nonlinear piezoelectric coefficients using a\n micromechanical resonator

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2018-05-24

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  We describe and demonstrate a method by which the nonlinear piezoelectric\nproperties of a piezoelectric material may be measured by detecting the force\nthat it applies on a suspended micromechanical resonator at one of its\nmechanical resonance frequencies. Resonators are used in countless\napplications; this method could provide a means for better-characterizing\nmaterial behaviors within real MEMS devices. Further, special devices can be\ndesigned to probe this nonlinear behavior at specific frequencies with enhanced\nsignal sizes. The resonators used for this experiment are actuated using a\n1-$\\mu$m-thick layer of aluminum nitride. When driven at large amplitudes, the\npiezoelectric layer generates harmonics, which are measurable in the response\nof the resonator. In this experiment, we measured the second-order\npiezoelectric coefficient of aluminum nitride to be\n$-(23.1\\pm14.1)\\times10^{-22}\\ \\mathrm{m/V^2}$.\n

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Measurement of nonlinear piezoelectric coefficients using a micromechanical resonator

  Applied Physics Letters · 2018-08-20

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  We describe and demonstrate a method by which the nonlinear piezoelectric properties of a piezoelectric material may be measured by detecting the force that it applies on a suspended micromechanical resonator at one of its mechanical resonance frequencies. Resonators are used in countless applications; this method could provide a means for better-characterizing material behaviors within real MEMS devices. Further, special devices can be designed to probe this nonlinear behavior at specific frequencies with enhanced signal sizes. The resonators used for this experiment are actuated using a 1-μm-thick layer of aluminum nitride. When driven at large amplitudes, the piezoelectric layer generates harmonics, which are measurable in the response of the resonator. In this experiment, we measured the second-order piezoelectric coefficient of aluminum nitride to be −(23.1±14.1)×10−22 m/V2.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• QnTM: Quantum Control of Coherence in Nanoelectronic Quantum Systems

  NSF · $255k · 2004–2007

• NSF-EC Cooperative Activity in Materials Research: Mechanical Measurement of Spin Transport in Nanomaterials

  NSF · $300k · 2004–2007

• CAREER: Nanomechanics in the Quantum Regime

  NSF · $425k · 2005–2010

• EMT/NANO: Computation Using Nanomechanical Oscillator Networks

  NSF · $300k · 2008–2011

Frequent coauthors

• Shyamsunder Erramilli

  Boston University

  23 shared

• A. Gaidarzhy

  12 shared

• Robert L. Badzey

  Boston University

  11 shared

• Matthias Imboden

  11 shared

• Mi K. Hong

  Boston University

  10 shared

• Xihua Wang

  10 shared

• Guiti Zolfagharkhani

  10 shared

• Tyler Dunn

  Boston University

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Material Science and Engineering

  University of X

  2005

• M.S., Material Science and Engineering

  University of Y

  2000

• B.S., Material Science and Engineering

  University of Z

  1998