Nanoscale electrical conductivity of the purple membrane monolayer

Nanoscale electron transport through the purple membrane monolayer, a two-dimensional crystal lattice of the transmembrane protein bacteriorhodopsin, is studied by conductive atomic force microscopy. We demonstrate that the purple membrane exhibits nonresonant tunneling transport, with two character...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Casuso Páramo, Ignacio, Fumagalli, Laura, 1959-, Samitier i Martí, Josep, Padrós, Esteve, Reggiani, L. (Lino), 1941-, Akimov, Vladimir, Gomila Lluch, Gabriel
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2007
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositório:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/18778
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/18778
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Microelectrònica
Enginyeria biomèdica
Microelectronics
Biomedical engineering
Descrição
Resumo:Nanoscale electron transport through the purple membrane monolayer, a two-dimensional crystal lattice of the transmembrane protein bacteriorhodopsin, is studied by conductive atomic force microscopy. We demonstrate that the purple membrane exhibits nonresonant tunneling transport, with two characteristic tunneling regimes depending on the applied voltage (direct and Fowler-Nordheim). Our results show that the purple membrane can carry significant current density at the nanometer scale, several orders of magnitude larger than previously estimated by macroscale measurements.