Discovered that a derivative of DNA as a cable behaves … – The Vanguard

Madrid. (EP) .- An international team in involving experts from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), has shown that a derived DNA -the molecule G4 -DNA-behaves like a Cable can transport power distances .

The discovery, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology , could lead to a new nanoelectronics based on the use of single biomolecules. Furthermore, these results have established for the first time what is the physical mechanism by which the electric charge can be transported over long distances via a biomolecule.

“The G4-DNA is derived from DNA having a structure of four helices, instead of two like the famous DNA. This biomolecule exists in nature and are small pieces, for example, at the end of the chromosomes of humans, “explained the researcher from the Department of Physics Theoretical Condensed Matter at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and signer of work, Juan Carlos Cuevas.

In particular, he continues, the first task of the team was to modify the chemical structure of these molecules to make them longer and more

robust. After investigating their electrical properties with the aid of an atomic force microscope (AFM), so discovered that when one of these molecules is deposited on an insulating substrate and the contact with a metal electrode and the conductive AFM tip, the molecule is capable of carrying electrical current even at distances greater than 100 nanometers, something that no other single molecule is capable of.

own work, which also signed researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of Tel Aviv, is the possibility of using these biomolecules for the fabrication of nanoscale circuits.