The reason for this high specificity is that cantilever motion originates19
from the change in surface free energy of one surface of the
cantilever and not the other. Because specific binding between molecules
leads to much higher free-energy change than for nonspecific
binding, cantilever deflections are a response to specific binding.
The value of the cantilever deflection, ∆h, can be estimated from
Stoney’s formula17