title: Nanoscale electrical conductivity of the purple membrane monolayer.
abstract: Nanoscale electron transport through the purple membrane monolayer, a two-dimensional crystal lattice of the transmembrane protein bacteriorhodopsin, is studied by conductive atomic force microscopy. We demonstrate that the purple membrane exhibits nonresonant tunneling transport, with two characteristic tunneling regimes depending on the applied voltage (direct and Fowler-Nordheim). Our results show that the purple membrane can carry significant current density at the nanometer scale, several orders of magnitude larger than previously estimated by macroscale measurements.
authors.affiliation: Department Electrònica, Universitat de Barcelona and Laboratori de Nanobioenginyeria-IBEC, Parc Científic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Casuso
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fumagalli
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Samitier
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Padrós
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reggiani
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Akimov
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gomila
mesh_terms: D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001703:Biophysics / Q000379:methods*; D003460:Crystallization; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004583:Electrons; D019617:Halobacterium salinarum / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008566:Membranes / Q000737:chemistry*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D018717:Purple Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D001436:Bacteriorhodopsins