We investigate the current–voltage relationship and the temperature-dependent conductance of nano-scale samples of poly(dA)–poly(dT) DNA molecules. A polaron hopping model has been used to calculate the I–V characteristic of nano-scale samples of DNA. This model agrees with the data for current versus voltage at temperatures greater than 100 K. The quantities G0, i0, and T1d are determined empirically, and the conductivity is estimated for samples of poly(dA)–poly(dT).
We have studied the variable range hopping (VRH) mechanism for polarons in DNA structures using an exponential density of states. Due to the electron-phonon interaction localized polarons are formed in the DNA helix. The unwinding of DNA increases molecular orbital overlap between bases while decreasing the base-to-base distance. These types of vibrations create phonons. We consider that DNA has a band tail which has an exponential density of states and we have calculated the temperature-and the electric field dependence of the conductivity. We compare our model with the experiments of the electrical conductivity of samples of double-stranded H5N1 genes of avian Influenza virus DNA. Our theory is able to explain their data.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.