Transverse charge transport through DNA oligomers in large-area molecular junctions

Abstract

We investigate the nature of charge transport in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) using self-assembled layers of DNA in large-area molecular junctions. A protocol was developed that yields dense monolayers where the DNA molecules are not standing upright, but are lying flat on the substrate. As a result the charge transport is measured not along the DNA molecules but in the transverse direction, across their diameter. The electrical transport data are consistent with the derived morphology. We demonstrate that the charge transport mechanism through DNA is identical to non-resonant tunneling through alkanethiols with identical length, classifying DNA as a dielectric.