Role of Order in the Mechanism of Charge Transport across Single-Stranded and Double-Stranded DNA Monolayers in Tunnel Junctions.

ABSTRACT: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has been hypothesized to act as a molecular wire due to the presence of an extended π-stack between base pairs, but the factors that are detrimental in the mechanism of charge transport (CT) across tunnel junctions with DNA are still unclear. Here we systematically investigate CT across dense DNA monolayers in large-area biomolecular tunnel junctions to determine when intrachain or interchain CT dominates and under which conditions the mechanism of CT becomes thermally activated. In our junctions, double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is 30-fold more conductive than single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The main reason for this large change in conductivity is that dsDNA forms ordered monolayers where intrachain tunneling dominates, resulting in high CT rates. By varying the temper

SUBMITTER: Gupta NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8662729 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature