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DNA Tunnel Diode Behavior
205th Meeting- Electrochemical Society, May
2004, San Antonio
Merrill Garnett and C.V.Krishnan
Garnett McKeen Lab. Inc.
150 Islip Ave., Ste 6, Islip, New York 11751 USA
We reported that at controlled positive potentials on the mercury electrode, with trace peroxide in sodium acetate
solution, DNA (ct) exhibits a reversing impedance plot extending smoothly through the upper left quadrant of the
complex plane (1,2). The narrow band positive potential produces a dopant mercury ion. This impedance has an equivalent
circuit fit similar to a transmission line (3) but with a negative value for the resistance in the second (RC)
unit : R(RC)(RC)(RC). The plot is produced from high to low frequencies but not from low to high. This resembles
rectification. The loading (L) and discharging (D) portions of the curve are indicated (fig.1).
Fig. 1
Three properties point to tunnel diode behavior : negative resistance, transmission line circuit fit, and rectification.
Now we show that DNA (ct, 5.0 mg/mL) with trace peroxide in 0.1 M NaCl can be dried on a glass slide in a magnetic
field to reveal a microscopic crystal array (fig.2,3, and 4).
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Fig. 2
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Fig. 3
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Fig. 4
The array resembles strings of tetrahedra following the field lines.
We propose this crystal structure is the basis of the diode properties. In fig.4 the lines of crystals seem to
converge at magnetic poles. The convergence recalls the vortex state in which magnetic lines thread through thin
films, mixed states, and magnetized type II superconductors (4). Here the lines converge with the packing geometry
of liquid crystals in water. The peroxide paramagnetic requirement for DNA negative impedance, repeats the palladium
paramagnetic effect shown in our work on palladium lipoic acid complex (5). We believe distributed paramagnetism
lowers the resistance in liquid crystal hydration lattices. The diode type charge transfer in the DNA hydration
layer does not minimize the pi charge transfer through the gene bases. Together they raise the possibility of an
efficient twisted pair cable configuration with mutual inductance. The magnitudes of the two conduction routes
are under study.
References :
1. M.Garnett, and C.V.Krishnan, 204th
Meeting ECS, Abs. 1377, Orlando, 2003
2. M.Garnett, and C.V.Krishnan, 204th
Meeting ECS, Abs. 1379, Orlando, 2003
3. M.E.G.Lyons (ed.), Electroactive
Polymer Electrochemistry, Part 1,
Fundamentals, Plenum Press, 1994
4. C.Kittel, Introduction to Solid State
Physics, Wiley, 1986
5. C.V.Krishnan, M. Garnett, and
J.L.Remo, 203d Meeting ECS, Abs.
2703, Paris, 2003
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