Charge transport in polyguanine-polycytosine DNA molecules

A double chain tight-binding model is proposed to interpret the experimental I-V curves for polyguanine-polycytosine DNA molecules reported in Porath et al (2000 Nature 493 635). The proposed model includes the salient features of existing transport models of DNA molecules. The proposed double chain model fits excellently with the experimental I-V curves and provides a theoretical interpretation of features found in the I-V curves, which so far do not have a satisfactory explanation. Steps in the I-V curves are explained as the result of transmission gaps caused by hybridization with reservoirs and inter-chain coupling. Variations in I-V curves are due to the variation of inter-chain and intra-chain hopping parameters caused by structural changes in the DNA molecules. © IOP Publishing Ltd.