Conductivity of weak electrolytes for buffer solutions: Modeling within the mean spherical approximation

DNA-Based Conductors: From Materials Design to Ultra-Scaled Electronics

Photolithography has been the foundational fabrication paradigm in current high-performance electronics. However, due to the limitation in fabrication resolution, scaling beyond a 20-nm critical dimension for metal conductors presents a significant challenge for photolithography. Structural DNA nanotechnology emerges as a promising alternative to photolithography, allowing for the site-specific assembly of nano-materials at single-molecule resolution. Substantial progresses have been achieved in the ultra-scaled DNA-based conductors, exhibiting novel transport characteristics and small critical dimensions. This review highlights the structure-transport property relationship for various DNA-based conductors and their potential applications in quantum /semiconductor electronics, going beyond the conventional scope focusing mainly on the shape diversity of DNA-templated metals. Different material synthesis methods and their morphological impacts on the conductivities are discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on the conducting mechanisms, such as insulating, metallic conducting, quantum tunneling, and superconducting. Furthermore, the ionic gating effect of self-assembled DNA structures in electrolyte solutions is examined. This review also suggests potential solutions to address current challenges in DNA-based conductors, encouraging multi-disciplinary collaborations for the future development of this exciting area.

Experimental and Modeling of Conductivity for Electrolyte Solution Systems

Studying the concentration and temperature dependence of the conductivity of electrolyte solution is of great significance for the evaluation and improvement of the performance of the electrochemical system. In this paper, based on the influence of the number of free ions and ion mobility on the conductivity, a semiempirical conductivity model with five parameters was proposed to correlate the conductivity, concentration and temperature data of electrolyte solutions at medium and high concentrations. The conductivities of NaCl and CaCl₂ in propylene carbonate-H₂O binary solvents were measured at temperatures varying from 283.15 to 333.15 K. The validity of the model was verified by the experimental data of this paper and the conductivity, concentration, and temperature data of 28 electrolyte solution systems in the literature. The electrolyte solutions investigated in this paper included binary organic solvent systems, pure organic solvent systems, and aqueous solution systems. The results showed that the proposed model can fit the experimental data well for both pure solvent and mixed solvents systems, which is of great value to practical engineering applications.