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Experimental evaluation of electrical conductivity of microtubules

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Abstract

Microtubules (MTs) are self-assembled proteinaceous filaments with nanometer scale diameters and micrometer scale lengths. Through conductivity measurements in microchannels we shed some light on electrical properties of microtubules. Measuring electrical resistance we were able to detect the dynamic disassembly of MTs and determine an upper limit for the electrical conductivity of MT. The measurements yielded the value of 90 Ω−1 m−1 as the upper limit for the conductivity of MTs, which is in the order of conductivity observed in inorganic intrinsic semiconductors.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation, grant #0303863. This work was supported in part by a small research grant from the office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Arizona and the University of Arizona Foundation. We would like to acknowledge additional financial support from the College of Engineering and Mines and the department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Arizona. We would like to acknowledge assistance of Victor Wells and Sarah Dahl of the University of Arizona’s Microelectronics Laboratory in fabrication of suitable silicon substrates. M. U. and O. A. P. express their gratitude to VEECO Instruments Inc. for access to the laboratory and assistance in use of equipment for measuring the MT clusters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Nano-Biomolecular Engineering Science and Technology (n-BEST) Program, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    M. Umnov, O. A. Palusinski & H. Barnaby

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nano-Biomolecular Engineering Science and Technology (n-BEST) Program, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    P. A. Deymier, Y. Yang & S. Raghavan

  3. Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Nano-Biomolecular Engineering Science and Technology (n-BEST) Program, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    R. Guzman

  4. Biomedical Engineering Program, Nano-Biomolecular Engineering Science and Technology (n-BEST) Program, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    J. Hoying

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  1. M. Umnov
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  2. O. A. Palusinski
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  3. P. A. Deymier
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  4. R. Guzman
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  5. J. Hoying
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  6. H. Barnaby
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  7. Y. Yang
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  8. S. Raghavan
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Correspondence to O. A. Palusinski.

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Umnov, M., Palusinski, O.A., Deymier, P.A. et al. Experimental evaluation of electrical conductivity of microtubules. J Mater Sci 42, 373–378 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-1075-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-1075-7

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