title: Aviram-Ratner rectifying mechanism for DNA base-pair sequencing through graphene nanogaps.
abstract: We demonstrate that biological molecules such as Watson-Crick DNA base pairs can behave as biological Aviram-Ratner electrical rectifiers because of the spatial separation and weak hydrogen bonding between the nucleobases. We have performed a parallel computational implementation of the ab initio non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) theory to determine the electrical response of graphene--base-pair--graphene junctions. The results show an asymmetric (rectifying) current-voltage response for the cytosine-guanine base pair adsorbed on a graphene nanogap. In sharp contrast we find a symmetric response for the thymine-adenine case. We propose applying the asymmetry of the current-voltage response as a sensing criterion to the technological challenge of rapid DNA sequencing via graphene nanogaps.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and W M Keck Computational Materials Theory Center, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA 91330, USA. luis.agapito@gmail.com
authors.forename: Luis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Agapito
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gayles
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolowiec
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kioussis
mesh_terms: D020029:Base Pairing; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D006108:Graphite; D008958:Models, Molecular; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D036103:Nanotechnology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D006108:Graphite; D004247:DNA