DNA Conductance: A Basic Review

DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid) is the molecule of life. It stores the information required by cells to reproduce and live. It is also a wonderful molecule for the design and fabrication of the new nano‐electronic devices. DNA is considered to be a dream molecule by the scientists and researchers working in the field of nanotechnology and nanoengineering. This is attributed to the fact that DNA acts as a scaffold for various atomic and molecular systems due to its molecular recognition property. In recent experimental work, long‐range electron transfer between an electron donor and an acceptor was studied and interpreted to be faster than any previously reported biomolecule mediated electron transfer and concluded that DNA acts as a molecular wire. Newer experiments have not reported such rapid electron transfer rates and have concluded that DNA is not a molecular wire. Understanding the conductance of DNA by itself is a scientific problem. We review some of the DNA systems studied experimentally and theoretically to understand the conductance of DNA.

Keywords:

• DNA
• nanowire
• conductivity

We would like to thank the organizers of the International Conference on Nanomaterials for Electronics, 2006.