Nawade A, Busi KB, Ramya K, Dalapati GK, Mukhopadhyay S, Chakrabortty S. Improved Charge Transport across Bovine Serum Albumin-Au Nanoclusters' Hybrid Molecular Junction.
ACS OMEGA 2022;
7:20906-20913. [PMID:
35755374 PMCID:
PMC9219077 DOI:
10.1021/acsomega.2c01563]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Proteins, a highly complex substance, have been an essential element in living organisms, and various applications are envisioned due to their biocompatible nature. Apart from proteins' biological functions, contemporary research mainly focuses on their evolving potential associated with nanoscale electronics. Here, we report one chemical doping process in model protein molecules (BSA) to modulate their electrical conductivity by incorporating metal (gold) nanoclusters on the surface or within them. The as-synthesized Au NCs incorporated inside the BSA (Au 1 to Au 6) were optically well characterized with UV-vis, time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL), X-ray photon spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy techniques. The PL quantum yield for Au 1 is 6.8%, whereas that for Au 6 is 0.03%. In addition, the electrical measurements showed ∼10-fold enhancement of conductivity in Au 6 (8.78 × 10-3 S/cm), where maximum loading of Au NCs was predicted inside the protein matrix. We observed a dynamic behavior in the electrical conduction of such protein-nanocluster films, which could have real-time applications in preparing biocompatible electronic devices.
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