Communications of the ACM
Penn Researchers Develop Biological Circuit Components, New Microscope Technique For Measuring Them
Courtesy of College Financial Aid Guide
University of Pennsylvania researchers have developed a method for integrating biological molecules directly with electronic circuits so they can operate in open-air environments.
They also have devised a new microscope technique for measuring the electrical properties of these and similar devices. The innovation involves artificial proteins stamped onto sheets of graphite electrodes that convert photons into electrons and, when they are exposed to light, pass them to the electrode. The torsional resonance nanoimpedance microscopy method enables the researchers to quantify the circuits' properties with nanometer sensitivity using an atomic force microscope.
"What we've done in our version is to use a metallic tip and put an oscillating electric field on it," says Pennsylvania professor Dawn Bonnell. "By seeing how electrons react to the field, we're able to measure more complex interactions and more complex properties, such as capacitance."
Bonnell says that in the short term the research is being applied to biochemical sensors, while further out is the possibility of photovoltaic applications.
From University of Pennsylvania
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