Single-metalloprotein wet biotransistor
- 23 March 2005
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 86 (13), 133902
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1896087
Abstract
Metalloproteins are redox molecules naturally shuttling electrons with high efficiency between molecular partners. As such, they are candidates of choice for bioelectronics. In this work, we have used bacterial metalloprotein azurin, hosted in a nanometer gap between two electrically biased goldelectrodes, to demonstrate an electrochemically gated single-molecule transistor operating in an aqueous environment. Gold-chemisorbed azurin shows peaks in tunneling current upon changing electrode potential and a related variation in tunneling barrier transparency which can be exploited to switch an electron current through it. These results suggest the wet approach to molecular electronics as a viable method for exploiting electron transfer of highly specialized biomolecules.Keywords
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