Beall, Edward
(2019)
COMPARISONS OF NUCLEIC ACID DUPLEXES PROVIDE FUNDAMENTAL
INSIGHT INTO LONG-RANGE SINGLE MOLECULE CONDUCTANCE.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
The understanding of charge transfer on the nanoscale is rapidly expanding and
achievement in the construction of increasingly intricate single molecule platforms is advancing
the field of molecular electronics. Functional biomimetic structures are the subject and pursuit of
considerable research aimed at continuing the miniaturization of electrical components. In this
dissertation, fundamental factors affecting charge transfer are investigated though the
measurement of single molecule conductance. In the first study, an experimental procedure is
presented that includes a modulated bias and a novel data analysis technique. This technique is
utilized in the subsequent studies. In the second study, the effect of the flexibility of nucleic acid
duplexes on their single molecule conductance is shown. It is found that the single molecule
conductance increases as the flexibility of the backbone increases. The third study determines the
effect of a nick in the backbone of the duplex. The nicked duplexes are shown to have a more
variable single molecule conductance relative to their full analogues, while the average
conductance values agree for both duplex types. The final study furthers recent work on DNA
duplexes by comparing them to the single molecule conductance of PNA duplexes of varying
lengths. The length dependence of the single molecule conductance does not show the oscillatory
effect observed for DNA duplexes, shedding light on the relevant charge transfer mechanism. The
results of these studies serve to progress the field of molecular electronics and will aid in future
studies elucidating the underlying aspects governing electron transfer.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
|
| Date: |
30 January 2019 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
23 August 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
30 January 2019 |
| Submission Date: |
5 December 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
3 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 3 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
183 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Chemistry |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Single molecule conductance, molecular electronics, nucleic acids |
| Date Deposited: |
30 Jan 2019 21:26 |
| Last Modified: |
30 Jan 2022 06:15 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/35708 |
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