Published in

Wiley, Advanced Functional Materials, 12(25), p. 1822-1831, 2015

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201404372

Wiley, Advanced Functional Materials, 12(25), p. 1821-1821, 2015

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201570086

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Triggering Mechanism for DNA Electrical Conductivity: Reversible Electron Transfer between DNA and Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

A new category of iron oxide nanoparticles (surface active maghemite nanoparticles (SAMNs, γ-Fe2O3)) allows the intimate chemical and electrical contact with DNA by direct covalent binding. On these basis, different DNA-nanoparticle architectures are developed and used as platform for studying electrical properties of DNA. The macroscopic 3D nanobioconjugate, constituted of 5% SAMNs, 70% water, and 25% DNA, shows high stability, electrochemical reversibility and, moreover, electrical conductivity (70–80 Ω cm−1). Reversible electron transfer at the interface between nanoparticles and DNA is unequivocally demonstrated by Mössbauer spectroscopy, which shows the appearance of Fe(II) atoms on nanoparticles following nanobioconjugate formation. This represents the first example of permanent electron exchange by DNA, as well as, of DNA conductivity at a macroscopic scale. Finally, the most probable configuration of the binding is tentatively modeled by density functional theory (DFT/UBP86/6-31+G*), showing the occurrence of electron transfer from the organic orbitals of DNA to surface exposed Fe(III) on nanoparticles, as well as the generation of defects (holes) on the DNA bases. The unequivocal demonstration of DNA conduction provides a new perspective in the five decades long debate about electrical properties of this biopolymer, further suggesting novel approaches for DNA exploitation in nanoelectronics.