1
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Aminiranjbar Z, Gultakti CA, Alangari MN, Wang Y, Demir B, Koker Z, Das AK, Anantram MP, Oren EE, Hihath J. Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using Single-Molecule Conductance Measurements. ACS Sens 2024. [PMID: 38773960 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c02734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
The global COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for rapid, reliable, and efficient detection of biological agents and the necessity of tracking changes in genetic material as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge. Here, we demonstrate that RNA-based, single-molecule conductance experiments can be used to identify specific variants of SARS-CoV-2. To this end, we (i) select target sequences of interest for specific variants, (ii) utilize single-molecule break junction measurements to obtain conductance histograms for each sequence and its potential mutations, and (iii) employ the XGBoost machine learning classifier to rapidly identify the presence of target molecules in solution with a limited number of conductance traces. This approach allows high-specificity and high-sensitivity detection of RNA target sequences less than 20 base pairs in length by utilizing a complementary DNA probe capable of binding to the specific target. We use this approach to directly detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617.2 (Delta), and B.1.1.529 (Omicron) and further demonstrate that the specific sequence conductance is sensitive to nucleotide mismatches, thus broadening the identification capabilities of the system. Thus, our experimental methodology detects specific SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as recognizes the emergence of new variants as they arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahra Aminiranjbar
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Caglanaz Akin Gultakti
- Bionanodesign Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
- Department of Materials Science & Nanotechnology Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
| | - Mashari Nasser Alangari
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Hail, Hail 2240, Saudi Arabia
| | - Yiren Wang
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Busra Demir
- Bionanodesign Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
- Department of Materials Science & Nanotechnology Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
| | - Zeynep Koker
- Bionanodesign Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
| | - Arindam K Das
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
- Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington 99004,United States
| | - M P Anantram
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98115, United States
| | - Ersin Emre Oren
- Bionanodesign Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
- Department of Materials Science & Nanotechnology Engineering, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara 06560, Turkey
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
- Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona 85287, United States
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2
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Gunasinghe Pattiya Arachchillage KG, Chandra S, Williams A, Rangan S, Piscitelli P, Florence L, Ghosal Gupta S, Artes Vivancos JM. A single-molecule RNA electrical biosensor for COVID-19. Biosens Bioelectron 2023; 239:115624. [PMID: 37639885 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2023.115624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic shows a critical need for rapid, inexpensive, and ultrasensitive early detection methods based on biomarker analysis to reduce mortality rates by containing the spread of epidemics. This can be achieved through the electrical detection of nucleic acids at the single-molecule level. In particular, the scanning tunneling microscopic-assisted break junction (STM-BJ) method can be utilized to detect individual nucleic acid molecules with high specificity and sensitivity in liquid samples. Here, we demonstrate single-molecule electrical detection of RNA coronavirus biomarkers, including those of SARS-CoV-2 as well as those of different variants and subvariants. Our target sequences include a conserved sequence in the human coronavirus family, a conserved target specific for the SARS-CoV-2 family, and specific targets at the variant and subvariant levels. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to distinguish between different variants of the COVID-19 virus using electrical conductance signals, as recently suggested by theoretical approaches. Our results pave the way for future miniaturized single-molecule electrical biosensors that could be game changers for infectious diseases and other public health applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Ajoke Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Srijith Rangan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Patrick Piscitelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | - Lily Florence
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA
| | | | - Juan M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, 01854, MA, USA.
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3
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Pattiya Arachchillage KGG, Chandra S, Williams A, Piscitelli P, Pham J, Castillo A, Florence L, Rangan S, Artes Vivancos JM. Electrical detection of RNA cancer biomarkers at the single-molecule level. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12428. [PMID: 37528139 PMCID: PMC10393997 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39450-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a significant healthcare issue, and early screening methods based on biomarker analysis in liquid biopsies are promising avenues to reduce mortality rates. Electrical detection of nucleic acids at the single molecule level could enable these applications. We examine the electrical detection of RNA cancer biomarkers (KRAS mutants G12C and G12V) as a single-molecule proof-of-concept electrical biosensor for cancer screening applications. We show that the electrical conductance is highly sensitive to the sequence, allowing discrimination of the mutants from a wild-type KRAS sequence differing in just one base. In addition to this high specificity, our results also show that these biosensors are sensitive down to an individual molecule with a high signal-to-noise ratio. These results pave the way for future miniaturized single-molecule electrical biosensors that could be groundbreaking for cancer screening and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Ajoke Williams
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Patrick Piscitelli
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Jennifer Pham
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Aderlyn Castillo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Lily Florence
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Srijith Rangan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA
| | - Juan M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA.
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4
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He L, Xie Z, Long X, Zhang C, Ma K, She L. Potential differentiation of successive SARS-CoV-2 mutations by RNA: DNA hybrid analyses. Biophys Chem 2023; 297:107013. [PMID: 37030215 PMCID: PMC10065053 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2023.107013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
The constant mutation of SARS-CoV-2 has triggered a new round of public health crises and has had a huge impact on existing vaccines and diagnostic tools. It is essential to develop a new flexible method to distinguish mutations to prevent the spread of the virus. In this work, we used the combination of density functional theory (DFT) and non-equilibrium Green's function formulation with decoherence, to theoretically study the effect of viral mutation on charge transport properties of viral nucleic acid molecules. We found that all mutation of SARS-CoV-2 on spike protein was accompanied by the change of gene sequence conductance, this is attributed to the change of nucleic acid molecular energy level caused by mutation. Among them, the mutations L18F, P26S, and T1027I caused the largest conductance change after mutation. This provides a theoretical possibility for detecting virus mutation based on the change of molecular conductance of virus nucleic acid.
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5
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Charge Transport across Proteins inside Proteins: Tunneling across Encapsulin Protein Cages and the Effect of Cargo Proteins. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13010174. [PMID: 36671559 PMCID: PMC9855946 DOI: 10.3390/biom13010174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Charge transport across proteins can be surprisingly efficient over long distances-so-called long-range tunneling-but it is still unclear as to why and under which conditions (e.g., presence of co-factors, type of cargo) the long-range tunneling regime can be accessed. This paper describes molecular tunneling junctions based on an encapsulin (Enc), which is a large protein cage with a diameter of 24 nm that can be loaded with various types of (small) proteins, also referred to as "cargo". We demonstrate with dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy that Enc, with and without cargo, can be made stable in solution and immobilized on metal electrodes without aggregation. We investigated the electronic properties of Enc in EGaIn-based tunnel junctions (EGaIn = eutectic alloy of Ga and In that is widely used to contact (bio)molecular monolayers) by measuring the current density for a large range of applied bias of ±2.5 V. The encapsulated cargo has an important effect on the electrical properties of the junctions. The measured current densities are higher for junctions with Enc loaded with redox-active cargo (ferritin-like protein) than those junctions without cargo or redox-inactive cargo (green fluorescent protein). These findings open the door to charge transport studies across complex biomolecular hierarchical structures.
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6
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Lv SL, Zeng C, Yu Z, Zheng JF, Wang YH, Shao Y, Zhou XS. Recent Advances in Single-Molecule Sensors Based on STM Break Junction Measurements. BIOSENSORS 2022; 12:bios12080565. [PMID: 35892462 PMCID: PMC9329744 DOI: 10.3390/bios12080565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Single-molecule recognition and detection with the highest resolution measurement has been one of the ultimate goals in science and engineering. Break junction techniques, originally developed to measure single-molecule conductance, recently have also been proven to have the capacity for the label-free exploration of single-molecule physics and chemistry, which paves a new way for single-molecule detection with high temporal resolution. In this review, we outline the primary advances and potential of the STM break junction technique for qualitative identification and quantitative detection at a single-molecule level. The principles of operation of these single-molecule electrical sensing mainly in three regimes, ion, environmental pH and genetic material detection, are summarized. It clearly proves that the single-molecule electrical measurements with break junction techniques show a promising perspective for designing a simple, label-free and nondestructive electrical sensor with ultrahigh sensitivity and excellent selectivity.
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7
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Aiello CD, Abendroth JM, Abbas M, Afanasev A, Agarwal S, Banerjee AS, Beratan DN, Belling JN, Berche B, Botana A, Caram JR, Celardo GL, Cuniberti G, Garcia-Etxarri A, Dianat A, Diez-Perez I, Guo Y, Gutierrez R, Herrmann C, Hihath J, Kale S, Kurian P, Lai YC, Liu T, Lopez A, Medina E, Mujica V, Naaman R, Noormandipour M, Palma JL, Paltiel Y, Petuskey W, Ribeiro-Silva JC, Saenz JJ, Santos EJG, Solyanik-Gorgone M, Sorger VJ, Stemer DM, Ugalde JM, Valdes-Curiel A, Varela S, Waldeck DH, Wasielewski MR, Weiss PS, Zacharias H, Wang QH. A Chirality-Based Quantum Leap. ACS NANO 2022; 16:4989-5035. [PMID: 35318848 PMCID: PMC9278663 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c01347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
There is increasing interest in the study of chiral degrees of freedom occurring in matter and in electromagnetic fields. Opportunities in quantum sciences will likely exploit two main areas that are the focus of this Review: (1) recent observations of the chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect in chiral molecules and engineered nanomaterials and (2) rapidly evolving nanophotonic strategies designed to amplify chiral light-matter interactions. On the one hand, the CISS effect underpins the observation that charge transport through nanoscopic chiral structures favors a particular electronic spin orientation, resulting in large room-temperature spin polarizations. Observations of the CISS effect suggest opportunities for spin control and for the design and fabrication of room-temperature quantum devices from the bottom up, with atomic-scale precision and molecular modularity. On the other hand, chiral-optical effects that depend on both spin- and orbital-angular momentum of photons could offer key advantages in all-optical and quantum information technologies. In particular, amplification of these chiral light-matter interactions using rationally designed plasmonic and dielectric nanomaterials provide approaches to manipulate light intensity, polarization, and phase in confined nanoscale geometries. Any technology that relies on optimal charge transport, or optical control and readout, including quantum devices for logic, sensing, and storage, may benefit from chiral quantum properties. These properties can be theoretically and experimentally investigated from a quantum information perspective, which has not yet been fully developed. There are uncharted implications for the quantum sciences once chiral couplings can be engineered to control the storage, transduction, and manipulation of quantum information. This forward-looking Review provides a survey of the experimental and theoretical fundamentals of chiral-influenced quantum effects and presents a vision for their possible future roles in enabling room-temperature quantum technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarice D. Aiello
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - John M. Abendroth
- Laboratory
for Solid State Physics, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
| | - Muneer Abbas
- Department
of Microbiology, Howard University, Washington, D.C. 20059, United States
| | - Andrei Afanasev
- Department
of Physics, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Shivang Agarwal
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Amartya S. Banerjee
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - David N. Beratan
- Departments
of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Physics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Jason N. Belling
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Bertrand Berche
- Laboratoire
de Physique et Chimie Théoriques, UMR Université de Lorraine-CNRS, 7019 54506 Vandœuvre les
Nancy, France
| | - Antia Botana
- Department
of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Justin R. Caram
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Giuseppe Luca Celardo
- Institute
of Physics, Benemerita Universidad Autonoma
de Puebla, Apartado Postal J-48, 72570, Mexico
- Department
of Physics and Astronomy, University of
Florence, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
| | - Gianaurelio Cuniberti
- Institute
for Materials Science and Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Aitzol Garcia-Etxarri
- Donostia
International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 Donostia, San Sebastian, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Maria Diaz de Haro 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Arezoo Dianat
- Institute
for Materials Science and Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Ismael Diez-Perez
- Department
of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, King’s College London, 7 Trinity Street, London SE1 1DB, United Kingdom
| | - Yuqi Guo
- School
for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Rafael Gutierrez
- Institute
for Materials Science and Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials, Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Carmen Herrmann
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Suneet Kale
- School
of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Philip Kurian
- Quantum
Biology Laboratory, Graduate School, Howard
University, Washington, D.C. 20059, United States
| | - Ying-Cheng Lai
- School
of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Tianhan Liu
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Alexander Lopez
- Escuela
Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, Campus Gustavo Galindo Km. 30.5 Vía Perimetral, PO Box 09-01-5863, Guayaquil 090902, Ecuador
| | - Ernesto Medina
- Departamento
de Física, Colegio de Ciencias e Ingeniería, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Av. Diego de Robles
y Vía Interoceánica, Quito 170901, Ecuador
| | - Vladimiro Mujica
- School
of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
- Kimika
Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, 20080 Donostia, Euskadi, Spain
| | - Ron Naaman
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Physics, Weizmann
Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Mohammadreza Noormandipour
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- TCM Group,
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J.J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom
| | - Julio L. Palma
- Department
of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, Lemont Furnace, Pennsylvania 15456, United States
| | - Yossi Paltiel
- Applied
Physics Department and the Center for Nano-Science and Nano-Technology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - William Petuskey
- School
of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - João Carlos Ribeiro-Silva
- Laboratory
of Genetics and Molecular Cardiology, Heart Institute, University of São Paulo Medical School, 05508-900 São
Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juan José Saenz
- Donostia
International Physics Center, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 4, 20018 Donostia, San Sebastian, Spain
- IKERBASQUE,
Basque Foundation for Science, Maria Diaz de Haro 3, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
| | - Elton J. G. Santos
- Institute
for Condensed Matter Physics and Complex Systems, School of Physics
and Astronomy, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
- Higgs Centre
for Theoretical Physics, The University
of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3FD, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Solyanik-Gorgone
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Volker J. Sorger
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. 20052, United States
| | - Dominik M. Stemer
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Jesus M. Ugalde
- Kimika
Fakultatea, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, 20080 Donostia, Euskadi, Spain
| | - Ana Valdes-Curiel
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
| | - Solmar Varela
- School
of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Yachay
Tech University, 100119 Urcuquí, Ecuador
| | - David H. Waldeck
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Michael R. Wasielewski
- Department
of Chemistry, Center for Molecular Quantum Transduction, and Institute
for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208-3113, United States
| | - Paul S. Weiss
- California
NanoSystems Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University
of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States
- Department
of Bioengineering, University of California,
Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States
| | - Helmut Zacharias
- Center
for Soft Nanoscience, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Qing Hua Wang
- School
for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
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8
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Chandra S, Gunasinghe Pattiya Arachchillage KG, Kliuchnikov E, Maksudov F, Ayoub S, Barsegov V, Artés Vivancos JM. Single-molecule conductance of double-stranded RNA oligonucleotides. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:2572-2577. [PMID: 35107112 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr06925j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
RNA oligonucleotides are crucial for a range of biological functions and in many biotechnological applications. Herein, we measured, for the first time, the conductance of individual double-stranded (ds)RNA molecules and compared it with the conductance of single DNA : RNA hybrids. The average conductance values are similar for both biomolecules, but the distribution of conductance values shows an order of magnitude higher variability for dsRNA, indicating higher molecular flexibility of dsRNA. Microsecond Molecular Dynamics simulations explain this difference and provide structural insights into the higher stability of DNA : RNA duplex with atomic level of detail. The rotations of 2'-OH groups of the ribose rings and the bases in RNA strands destabilize the duplex structure by weakening base stacking interactions, affecting charge transport, and making single-molecule conductance of dsRNA more variable (dynamic disorder). The results demonstrate that a powerful combination of state-of-the-art biomolecular electronics techniques and computational approaches can provide valuable insights into biomolecules' biophysics with unprecedented spatial resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | | | - Evgenii Kliuchnikov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Farkhad Maksudov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Steven Ayoub
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
| | - Valeri Barsegov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 01854 MA, USA.
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9
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Pattiya Arachchillage KGG, Chandra S, Piso A, Qattan T, Artes Vivancos JM. RNA BioMolecular Electronics: towards new tools for biophysics and biomedicine. J Mater Chem B 2021; 9:6994-7006. [PMID: 34494636 DOI: 10.1039/d1tb01141c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The last half-century has witnessed the birth and development of a new multidisciplinary field at the edge between materials science, nanoscience, engineering, and chemistry known as Molecular Electronics. This field deals with the electronic properties of individual molecules and their integration as active components in electronic circuits and has also been applied to biomolecules, leading to BioMolecular Electronics and opening new perspectives for single-molecule biophysics and biomedicine. Herein, we provide a brief introduction and overview of the BioMolecular electronics field, focusing on nucleic acids and potential applications for these measurements. In particular, we review the recent demonstration of the first single-molecule electrical detection of a biologically-relevant nucleic acid. We also show how this could be used to study biomolecular interactions and applications in liquid biopsy for early cancer detection, among others. Finally, we discuss future perspectives and challenges in the applications of this fascinating research field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subrata Chandra
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, 01854 Lowell, MA, USA.
| | - Angela Piso
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, 01854 Lowell, MA, USA.
| | - Tiba Qattan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, 01854 Lowell, MA, USA.
| | - Juan M Artes Vivancos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, 01854 Lowell, MA, USA.
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10
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Forzani ES, He H, Hihath J, Lindsay S, Penner RM, Wang S, Xu B. Moving Electrons Purposefully through Single Molecules and Nanostructures: A Tribute to the Science of Professor Nongjian Tao (1963-2020). ACS NANO 2020; 14:12291-12312. [PMID: 32940998 PMCID: PMC7718722 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c06017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Electrochemistry intersected nanoscience 25 years ago when it became possible to control the flow of electrons through single molecules and nanostructures. Many surprises and a wealth of understanding were generated by these experiments. Professor Nongjian Tao was among the pioneering scientists who created the methods and technologies for advancing this new frontier. Achieving a deeper understanding of charge transport in molecules and low-dimensional materials was the first priority of his experiments, but he also succeeded in discovering applications in chemical sensing and biosensing for these novel nanoscopic systems. In parallel with this work, the investigation of a range of phenomena using novel optical microscopic methods was a passion of his and his students. This article is a review and an appreciation of some of his many contributions with a view to the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica S Forzani
- Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Departments of Chemical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Huixin He
- Department of Chemistry, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey 07102, United States
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Stuart Lindsay
- Biodesign Center for Single Molecule Biophysics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Reginald M Penner
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Biodesign Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Bingqian Xu
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, United States
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11
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Aggarwal A, Bag S, Venkatramani R, Jain M, Maiti PK. Multiscale modelling reveals higher charge transport efficiencies of DNA relative to RNA independent of mechanism. NANOSCALE 2020; 12:18750-18760. [PMID: 32970051 DOI: 10.1039/d0nr02382e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In this study, we compare the charge transport properties of multiple double-stranded (ds)RNA sequences with corresponding dsDNA sequences. Recent studies have presented a contradictory picture of relative charge transport efficiencies in A-form DNA : RNA hybrids and dsDNA. Using a multiscale modelling framework, we compute conductance of dsDNA and dsRNA using Landauer formalism in the coherent limit and Marcus-Hush theory in the incoherent limit. We find that dsDNA conducts better than dsRNA in both the charge transport regimes. Our analysis shows that the structural differences in the twist angle and slide of dsDNA and dsRNA are the main reasons behind the higher conductance of dsDNA in the incoherent hopping regime. In the coherent limit however, for the same base pair length, the conductance of dsRNA is higher than that of dsDNA for the morphologies where dsRNA has a smaller end-to-end length relative to that of dsDNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Aggarwal
- Centre for Condensed Matter Theory, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India.
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12
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Ferapontova EE. Electron Transfer in DNA at Electrified Interfaces. Chem Asian J 2019; 14:3773-3781. [PMID: 31545875 DOI: 10.1002/asia.201901024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 09/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The ability of the DNA double helix to transport electrons underlies many life-centered biological processes and bio-electronic applications. However, there is little consensus on how efficiently the base pair π-stacks of DNA mediate electron transport. This minireview scrutinizes the current state-of-the-art knowledge on electron transfer (ET) properties of DNA and its long-range ability to transfer (mediate) electrical signals at electrified interfaces, without being oxidized or reduced. Complex changes an electric field induces in the DNA structure and its electronic properties govern the efficiency of DNA-mediated ET at electrodes and allow addressing the existing phenomenological riddles, while recently discovered rectifying properties of DNA contribute both to our understanding of DNA's ET in living systems and to advances in molecular bioelectronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena E Ferapontova
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center, Science and Technology, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 1590-14, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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13
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Jones LO, Mosquera MA, Schatz GC, Ratner MA. Molecular Junctions Inspired by Nature: Electrical Conduction through Noncovalent Nanobelts. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:8096-8102. [PMID: 31525929 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b06255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Charge transport occurs in a range of biomolecular systems, whose structures have covalent and noncovalent bonds. Understanding from these systems have yet to translate into molecular junction devices. We design junctions which have hydrogen-bonds between the edges of a series of prototype noncovalent nanobelts (NCNs) and vary the number of donor-acceptors to study their electrical properties. From frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) and projected density of state (DOS) calculations, we found these NCN dimer junctions to have low HOMO-LUMO gaps and states at the Fermi level, suggesting these are metallic-like systems. Their conductance properties were studied with nonequilibrium Green's functions density functional theory (NEGF-DFT) and was found to decrease with cooperative H-bonding, that is, the conductance decreased as the alternating donor-acceptors around the nanobelts attenuates to a uniform distribution in the H-bonding arrays. The latter gave the highest conductance of 51.3 × 10-6 S and the Seebeck coefficient showed n-type (-36 to -39 μV K-1) behavior, while the lower conductors with alternating H-bonds are p-type (49.7 to 204 μV K-1). In addition, the NCNs have appreciable binding energies (19.8 to 46.1 kcal mol-1), implying they could form self-assembled monolayer (SAM) heterojunctions leading to a polymeric network for long-range charge transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leighton O Jones
- Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center , Northwestern University , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Martín A Mosquera
- Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center , Northwestern University , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - George C Schatz
- Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center , Northwestern University , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
| | - Mark A Ratner
- Department of Chemistry and the Materials Research Center , Northwestern University , Evanston , Illinois 60208 , United States
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14
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Taniguchi M. Paving the way to single-molecule chemistry through molecular electronics. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:9641-9650. [PMID: 31062773 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp00264b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Since our understanding of single-molecule junctions, in which single molecules are connected between nanoelectrodes, has deepened, we have paved the way to single-molecule chemistry. Herein, we review fundamental properties, including the number of molecules connected to the electrode, their structure and type, the bonding force between the single molecule and electrode and the thermopower and quantum interference in single-molecule junctions. Additionally, we review the application of single-molecule junctions to biomolecules. Finally, we explore single-molecule chemical reaction analysis, which is one direction of single-molecule junction research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masateru Taniguchi
- The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan.
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15
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Korol R, Segal D. Machine Learning Prediction of DNA Charge Transport. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:2801-2811. [PMID: 30865456 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b12557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
First-principles calculations of charge transfer in DNA molecules are computationally expensive given that conducting charge carriers interact with intra- and intermolecular atomic motion. Screening sequences, for example, to identify excellent electrical conductors, is challenging even when adopting coarse-grained models and effective computational schemes that do not explicitly describe atomic dynamics. We present a machine learning (ML) model that allows the inexpensive prediction of the electrical conductance of millions of long double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) sequences, reducing computational costs by orders of magnitude. The algorithm is trained on short DNA nanojunctions with n = 3-7 base pairs. The electrical conductance of the training set is computed with a quantum scattering method, which captures charge-nuclei scattering processes. We demonstrate that the ML method accurately predicts the electrical conductance of varied dsDNA junctions tracing different transport mechanisms: coherent (short-range) quantum tunneling, on-resonance (ballistic) transport, and incoherent site-to-site hopping. Furthermore, the ML approach supports physical observations that clusters of nucleotides regulate DNA transport behavior. The input features tested in this work could be used in other ML studies of charge transport in complex polymers in the search for promising electronic and thermoelectric materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Korol
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control , University of Toronto , 80 Saint George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
| | - Dvira Segal
- Department of Chemistry and Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control , University of Toronto , 80 Saint George Street , Toronto , Ontario M5S 3H6 , Canada
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16
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Kékedy‐Nagy L, Ferapontova EE. Directional Preference of DNA‐Mediated Electron Transfer in Gold‐Tethered DNA Duplexes: Is DNA a Molecular Rectifier? Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201809559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- László Kékedy‐Nagy
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus University Gustav Wieds Vej 1590-14 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Elena E. Ferapontova
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus University Gustav Wieds Vej 1590-14 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
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17
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Kékedy‐Nagy L, Ferapontova EE. Directional Preference of DNA‐Mediated Electron Transfer in Gold‐Tethered DNA Duplexes: Is DNA a Molecular Rectifier? Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2019; 58:3048-3052. [DOI: 10.1002/anie.201809559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Revised: 10/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- László Kékedy‐Nagy
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus University Gustav Wieds Vej 1590-14 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
| | - Elena E. Ferapontova
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO)Aarhus University Gustav Wieds Vej 1590-14 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark
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18
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Beall E, Ulku S, Liu C, Wierzbinski E, Zhang Y, Bae Y, Zhang P, Achim C, Beratan DN, Waldeck DH. Effects of the Backbone and Chemical Linker on the Molecular Conductance of Nucleic Acid Duplexes. J Am Chem Soc 2017; 139:6726-6735. [PMID: 28434220 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.7b02260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Scanning tunneling microscope break junction measurements are used to examine how the molecular conductance of nucleic acids depends on the composition of their backbone and the linker group to the electrodes. Molecular conductances of 10 base pair long homoduplexes of DNA, aeg-PNA, γ-PNA, and a heteroduplex of DNA/aeg-PNA with identical nucleobase sequence were measured. The molecular conductance was found to vary by 12 to 13 times with the change in backbone. Computational studies show that the molecular conductance differences between nucleic acids of different backbones correlate with differences in backbone structural flexibility. The molecular conductance was also measured for duplexes connected to the electrode through two different linkers, one directly to the backbone and one directly to the nucleobase stack. While the linker causes an order-of-magnitude increase in the overall conductance for a particular duplex, the differences in the electrical conductance with backbone composition are preserved. The highest molecular conductance value, 0.06G0, was measured for aeg-PNA duplexes with a base stack linker. These findings reveal an important new strategy for creating longer and more complex electroactive, nucleic acid assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Beall
- Chemistry Department, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Selma Ulku
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Chaoren Liu
- Chemistry Department, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Emil Wierzbinski
- Chemistry Department, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | - Yuqi Zhang
- Chemistry Department, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Yookyung Bae
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - Peng Zhang
- Chemistry Department, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Catalina Achim
- Chemistry Department, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States
| | - David N Beratan
- Chemistry Department, Duke University , Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - David H Waldeck
- Chemistry Department, University of Pittsburgh , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
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19
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Li Y, Artés JM, Qi J, Morelan IA, Feldstein P, Anantram MP, Hihath J. Comparing Charge Transport in Oligonucleotides: RNA:DNA Hybrids and DNA Duplexes. J Phys Chem Lett 2016; 7:1888-1894. [PMID: 27145167 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b00749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the electronic properties of oligonucleotide systems is important for applications in nanotechnology, biology, and sensing systems. Here the charge-transport properties of guanine-rich RNA:DNA hybrids are compared to double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) duplexes with identical sequences. The conductance of the RNA:DNA hybrids is ∼10 times higher than the equivalent dsDNA, and conformational differences are determined to be the primary reason for this difference. The conductance of the RNA:DNA hybrids is also found to decrease more rapidly than dsDNA when the length is increased. Ab initio electronic structure and Green's function-based density of states calculations demonstrate that these differences arise because the energy levels are more spatially distributed in the RNA:DNA hybrid but that the number of accessible hopping sites is smaller. These combination results indicate that a simple hopping model that treats each individual guanine as a hopping site is insufficient to explain both a higher conductance and β value for RNA:DNA hybrids, and larger delocalization lengths must be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanhui Li
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Davis , Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Juan M Artés
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Davis , Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Jianqing Qi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Ian A Morelan
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis , Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Paul Feldstein
- Department of Plant Pathology, University of California Davis , Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - M P Anantram
- Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Joshua Hihath
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of California Davis , Davis, California 95616, United States
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20
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Gayathri HN, Kumar B, Suresh KA, Bisoyi HK, Kumar S. Charge transport in a liquid crystalline triphenylene polymer monolayer at air-solid interface. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:12101-7. [PMID: 27075432 DOI: 10.1039/c5cp07531a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
We have prepared a monolayer of a novel liquid crystalline polymer derived from 2,6-dihydroxy-3,7,10,11-tetraalkoxy-triphenylene (PHAT) at an air-water interface and transferred it onto freshly cleaved mica as well as gold coated mica substrates by the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) technique. The atomic force microscope (AFM) images of these L-B films show a uniform coverage with a thickness of 1.5 nm. Electrical conductivity measurements were carried out on the PHAT monolayer deposited on the gold coated mica substrate using a current sensing AFM (CSAFM). The gold substrate-PHAT monolayer-cantilever tip of CSAFM forms a metal-insulator-metal (M-I-M) junction. The CSAFM yields a non-linear current-voltage (I-V) curve for the M-I-M junction. The analysis of the I-V characteristics of the M-I-M junction indicated that the charge transport in the liquid crystalline polymer monolayer is by the direct tunneling mechanism. The barrier height for the PHAT monolayer was estimated to be 1.22 ± 0.02 eV.
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Affiliation(s)
- H N Gayathri
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, P. B. No: 1329, Jalahalli, Bangalore - 560 013, India.
| | - Bharat Kumar
- School of Physical Sciences, Central University of Karnataka, Kadaganchi - 585367, Karnataka, India
| | - K A Suresh
- Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, P. B. No: 1329, Jalahalli, Bangalore - 560 013, India.
| | - H K Bisoyi
- Raman Research Institute, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore - 560080, India
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Raman Research Institute, Sadashivanagar, Bangalore - 560080, India
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