Premium
Self‐Assembly of DNA‐Templated Polypyrrole Nanowires: Spontaneous Formation of Conductive Nanoropes
Author(s) -
Pruneanu Stela,
AlSaid Said A. Farha,
Dong Liqin,
Hollis Tom A.,
Galindo Miguel A.,
Wright Nicholas G.,
Houlton Andrew,
Horrocks Benjamin R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.200701336
Subject(s) - materials science , polypyrrole , silanization , conductive atomic force microscopy , electrical conductor , nanotechnology , nanowire , conductive polymer , polymerization , chemical engineering , atomic force microscopy , polymer , composite material , engineering
Polypyrrole nanowires formed by polymerization of pyrrole on a DNA template self‐assemble into rope‐like structures. These ‘nanoropes’ may be quite smooth (diameters 5–30 nm) or may show frayed ends where individual strands are visible. A combination of electric force microscopy, conductive atomic force microscopy and two‐terminal current–voltage measurements show that they are conductive. Nanoropes adhere more weakly to hydrophobic surfaces prepared by silanization of SiO 2 than to the clean oxide; this effect can be used to aid the combing of the nanoropes across microelectrode devices for electrical characterization.