title: Switchable DNA wire: deposition-stripping of copper nanoclusters as an "ON-OFF" nanoswitch.
abstract: Today, a consensus that DNA working as a molecular wire shows promise in nanoscale electronics is reached. Considering that the "ON-OFF" switch is the basis of a logic circuit, the switch of DNA-mediated charge transport (DNA CT) should be conquered. Here, on the basis of chemical or electrochemical deposition and stripping of DNA-templated copper nanoclusters (CuNCs), we develop an "ON-OFF" nanoswitch for DNA CT. While CuNCs are deposited, the DNA CT is blocked, which can be also recovered after stripping the CuNCs. A switch cycle can be completed in a few seconds and can be repeated for many times. Moreover, by regulating the amount of reagents, deposition/stripping time, applied potential, etc., the switch is adjustable to make the wire at either an "ON-OFF" state or an intermediate state. We believe that this concept and the successful implementation will promote the practical application of DNA wire one step further.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Siyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiepei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biosensing Technology, School of Life Sciences, Shanghai University, 200444, People's Republic of China.|State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Biochemistry, Nanjing University, 210093, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Genxi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D004581:Electronics / Q000379:methods; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003300:Copper; D004247:DNA