DNA sensor model based on a carbon nanotube network in the degenerate limit

H. Karimi Feiz Abadi, J. F. Webb, M. T. Ahmadi, M. Rahmani, M. Saeidmanesh, M. Khalid, and R. Ismail

Citation: AIP Conference Proceedings 1499, 283 (2012); doi: 10.1063/1.4769003
View online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4769003
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DNA Sensor Model Based on a Carbon Nanotube Network in
the Degenerate Limit
H. Karimi Feiz Abadi
,f
, J. F. Webb

, M. T. Ahmadi
f
, M. Rahmani
f
, M.
Saeidmanesh
f
, M. Khalid
|
and R. Ismail
f

Malaysia Japan International Institute of Technology, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor,
Malaysia

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia

Swinburne University of Technology, Sarawak Campus, 93576, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Center for Articial Intelligence and Robotics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia
Abstract. An analytical model of a possible DNA sensor based on a carbon nanotube network that functions as a selective
detector of DNA molecules is presented. The ability to implement label- free electronic detection using a DNA sensor
based on a carbon nanotube network constitutes an important step towards low-cost, highly sensitive, simple and accurate
molecular diagnostics. In particular, there is an urgent need for a simple method of detection of DNA molecules as this will
provided a new and efcient way to diagnosis genetic or pathogenic diseases. Bio-compatibility and high sensitivity towards
environmental perturbations make graphene nanomaterials a good choice for a sensing layer in an electronic DNA sensor. In
this study, a conductance model of a DNA sensor based on a carbon nanotube network is suggested and the performance of
the model is evaluated by calculating current-voltage characteristics.
Keywords: Biosensor, carbon nanotube network, DNA sensing, eld effect transistor.
PACS: 72.80.Vp
INTRODUCTION
Graphene forms nanostructured materials with excep-
tionally good properties, and holds great promise for
replacing conventional Si semiconductors in biochem-
ical sensors[1]. Graphene is the two dimensional (2-
D) basic structural element of graphite (3-D); a rolled-
up graphene sheet forms a single wall carbon nanotube
(SWCNT) (1-D, in the sense that the other two dimen-
sions exhibit quantum-mechanical connement) proper-
ties), and graphene is related to fullerenes (0- D: all three
dimensions are conned)[2, 3]. Because of the unique
electrical properties of SWCNTs and their high thermal
conductivity, they are attractive for device applications
and fabrication; moreover SWCNTs can provide a high
length-to-diameter ratio compared to other allotropes of
carbon[4]. As depicted in Fig. 1(b), SWCNTs can be
considered as being formed form a rolled up graphene
sheet (Fig. 1(a)); there is sp2 bonding of carbon atoms.
SWCNTs exhibit one dimensional behavior due to the
fact that the diameter of the cylinder is less than the de
Broglie wave length. In this paper, SWCNTs are con-
sidered as a sensing element for the detection of DNA
molecules due to the above mentioned features and ad-
vantages.
Carbon nanotubes have been employed in many elec-
trical components including resistors, eld effect transis-
tor (FETs) and biosensors[5, 6]. In order to reveal the
a
b c
Z

(a)
(b) (c)
FIGURE 1. (a) Monolayer graphene structure, (b, c) are the
carbon nanotubes.
interactions between biomolecules and nanomaterials, it
is important to realise that the diameter of SWCNTs
(1 nm) is comparable to the size of DNA molecules;
this makes SWCNTs possible candidates for DNA de-
Proceedings of the Sixth Global Conference on Power Control and Optimization
AIP Conf. Proc. 1499, 283-286 (2012); doi: 10.1063/1.4769003
2012 American Institute of Physics 978-0-7354-1113-5/$30.00
283
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tection. Implementation is challenging but shows great
promise for the development of the post genome era[7].
Apart from SWCNTs, one-dimensional silicon
nanowires and indium oxide nanowires have been
widely used for DNA detection because their electronic
conductance is sensitive to DNA- associated charges as
a result of their high surface-to volume ratio. Applying
SWCNTs to DNA detection will provide additional
advantages, with virtually all atoms on their surface. Re-
cently, Wang and Li et al. pointed out several reports on
electrochemical detection of DNA hybridization using
multi-walled carbon nanotube electrodes [8, 9]. They
report that the electrochemical behavior is a measure
of the direct electron transfer between SWCNTs and
DNA molecules, and opens the way for label-free DNA
detection.
SWCNT-based eld-effect transistors have been used
for highly sensitive detection of gases and biomolecules
such as antibodies. The physical or chemical interac-
tions between carbon-based nanomaterial surfaces and
the surfaces of biological components such as proteins
and DNA is bringing about a rapid growth in applica-
tions.
The interactions of single-stranded DNA with SWC-
NTs has been recently demonstrated as a non-covalent
one. The single stranded DNA (ssDNA) molecules wrap
around each individual SWCNT to form a stable com-
plex by means of aromatic interactions between nu-
cleotide bases and SWCNT sidewalls. It is notable that
by utilizing carbon nanotubes network eld-effect tran-
sistor (NTNFET) devices, interactions between ssDNA
oligonucleotide and SWCNTs can be investigated. As a
result, it has been found that NTNFETs can be selectively
functionalized with DNA oligonucleotide.
Theoretical and experimental researches have shown
the importance of transport properties in carbon nan-
otubes, including carrier statistics and conductance. Con-
ductance has been explored in many studies of single-
walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT). For the improve-
ment of the functionality of SWCNTs, numerical meth-
ods to solve the equations that arise from quantum con-
nement effects have been developed. Nanotubes with
high conductance are appropriate for large current eld
emission devices. Besides this, they are suitable for use
in eld effect transistors (CNTFETs) and sensors as well.
The problem of rapid decrease in conductance at low
voltages with decreasing the gate voltage can be ex-
plained to be due to Coulomb blockade effects. In order
to reduce this, scandium can be used as a high-quality
ohmic contact in order to achieve high- performance n-
type CNTFETs [10, 11].
Nilsson et al. have reported a successful fabrication
of electronic components like FETs [10] with the adop-
tion of [2] graphene thin layers as a channel. As de-
picted in Fig. 2, a DNA sensor has been fabricated by
V
DS
FIGURE 2. Schematic of graphene based FET for DNA
sensing
using SWCNTs grown by means of chemical vapor de-
position at 900

C using dispersed iron nanoparticles on

doped Si 100 mm wafers with SiO
2
at its surface. Electri-
cal contacts were patterned on top of the nanotubes from
evaporated Ti-Au lms (30 nm and 120 nm thick, respec-
tively). A random network of SWCNTs is patterned into
a DNA device that consists of interdigitated electrodes
with 10ijm separation (Fig. 2).
In view of the importance of conductance, and to
compliment other work that has already been done on
carrier transport, we develop a model that allows the
conductance properties for SWCNT DNA sensors to be
assessed.
PROPOSED MODEL
The 1(k) relation of a SWCNT can be obtained by
applying a Taylor series expansion to the graphene band
structure expression valid near the Fermi point [11]
1(k) D
t 3a
C-C
2
s
2
3J
2
Ck
2
x
. (1)
where a
C-C
D1.42 is the Carbon-Carbon(C-C) bond
length, t D2.7 eV is the nearest neighbor C-C tight bind-
ing overlap energy, and k
x
is the wave vector component
along the length of the nanotubes which can be expressed
for the parabolic part of the band energy as
k
x
D
s
41
3a
C-C

8
9J
2
. (2)
The subband locations have a strong inuence on the
number of actual modes of density M(1) at a given
energy. A parabolic approximation for the band diagram
can be used when the energies of interest are close to
the bottom of the conduction band. In this case, the
mode density M(1) increases with energy. By taking the
284
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derivative of the wave vector k
x
with respect to energy
1(Jk,J1), the mode density can be written as
M(1) D
z1
zk1
D
3a
C-C
t
21

21
3a
C-C
t

8
9J
2

1=2
. (3)
where 1 is the length of the nanotube. The conductance
can be expressed as
G D
2q
2
h
Z
C1
1
J1M(1)T(1)

J
J1

. (4)
where q is electronic charge magnitude, h is Plancks
constant and T is temperature. Incorporating the Fermi-
Dirac distribution[12] shows that the length of the nan-
otube has a strong inuence on the conductance func-
tion (and hence so will the channel length of the FET in
Fig. 2), and leads to
G D
2q
2
h
3a
C-C
t
1

4
3a
C-C
t

1=2

Z
1
0

1
2a
C-C
t
3J
2

1=2
J
J1

1
1Ce
.EE
F
/=.k
B
T

J1.
(5)
This equation can be solved numerically by employing a
partial integration method in a simplied form in which
. D

11
g

,(k
B
T ), and the normalized Fermi energy
is j D

1
F
1
g

,(k
B
T ). Thus, the general conduc-
tance model of a SWCNT DNA sensor can be obtained
similar to that of a silicon based detector as reported by
Gunlycke [13].
Fig. 3 shows the conductance of the SWCNT DNA
sensor versus gate voltage for the degenerate regime (as
described in Ref. [11]). Using the notation of Ref. [11]
the conductance for this regime can be written as
G D
4q
2
h1
(3a
C-C
t k
B
T )
1=2
h
2j
1=2
C2(j)
1=2
i
(6)
Based on the current-voltage characteristics of carbon
nanotube based FETs devices [14], the performance of
the DNA sensor can be evaluated through Eq. (6), to-
gether with
1
d
D
4q
2
h1
(3a
C-C
t k
B
T )
1=2
h
2j
1=2
C2(j)
1=2
i
V
DS
.
(7)
for the nondegenerate regime. As shown in Fig. 4, the
performance of carbon nanotube based DNA sensors
can be evaluated by the current-voltage characteristic for
different gate-source voltages.
V
G
(V)
FIGURE 3. Conductance of DNA sensor based carbon nan-
otubes versus gate voltage.
V
DS
(V)
FIGURE 4. Current-voltage characteristic of carbon nan-
otube based DNA sensor for different amounts of gate-source
voltage.
CONCLUSION
In this paper, a conductance model applicable to a carbon
nanotube based DNA sensor is presented. Such sensors
could lead to the development of label-free detection of
DNA. The studies here show how the conductance prop-
erties of DNA sensors of of the sort based on nanotube
networks in FETs (as shown in Fig. 2) behave and gives
insight into the device performance that is useful for in-
terpretation of results obtained from DNA sensor tests.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge nancial sup-
port via a Research University grant from the Ministry
of Higher Education (MOHE), Malaysia under project
Q.J130000.7123.02H24. Also we thank the Research
Management Center (RMC) of University Teknologi
Malaysia (UTM) for providing an excellent research en-
vironment in which to complete this work.
285
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