Recently, great attention has been paid to the possibility of implementing hybrid electronic devices exploiting the self-assembling properties of single molecules. Impressive progress has been done in this field by using organic molecules and macromolecules. However, the use of biomolecules is of great interest because of their larger size (few nanometers) and of their intrinsic functional properties. Here, we show that electron-transfer proteins, such as the blue copper protein azurin (Az), can be used to fabricate biomolecular electronic devices exploiting their intrinsic redox properties, self assembly capability and surface charge distribution. The device implementation follows a bottom-up approach in which the self assembled protein layer interconnects nanoscale electrodes fabricated by electron beam lithography, and leads to efficient rectifying behavior at room temperature.
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0207675,
title = {Solid state molecular rectifier based on self organized metalloproteins},
author = {Ross Rinaldi and Adriana Biasco and Giuseppe Maruccio and Roberto Cingolani and Dario Alliata and Laura Andolfi and Paolo Facci and Francesca De Rienzo and Rosa Di Felice and Elisa Molinari},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0207675},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
13 pages including two figures. Accepted for publication in Advanced Materials