Fundamental Understanding of Probe-Target Molecular Interactions and Electronic Response for Nanoarchitecture-Based Real-Time Chemical and Biological Detection System
Abstract
There is a keen interest in understanding of the interaction between bio-molecules and nanostructured materials, due to the potential application of the unique signature of the latter in probing the structural and conformational changes of the former, possibly leading to new detection mechanisms. In this work, we investigated the electronic properties of carbon- and boron-based nanostructures with an aim to identify their role in the development of the next generation sensing devices. We find that (i) Single atom change in the structure can noticeably alter the properties the carbon fullerene system. Boron fullerenes and Graphene/BN bilayers also appear to be attractive candidates for future nanoscale electronics. (ii) The interaction of DNA with BNNT depends upon the individual polarizability of biomolecules together with the degrees of mixing of electronic states with the tubular surface. (iii) Noticeable changes in the conductivity of semiconducting BNNTs due to physisorption of nucleic acid base molecules are predicted. Guanine significantly enhances its conductivity by introducing conduction channels near the Fermi energy of the bioconjugated system. For metallic CNTs, a large background current masks relatively small changes in current due to the biomolecular adsorption. The results therefore suggest the suitability of BNNTs for biosensing applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 03, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA579617
Entities
People
- Ravindra Pandey
Organizations
- Michigan Technological University