Fabrication and electrical transport characteristics of low-dimensional nanoparticle arrays organized by biomolecular scaffolds

We report the use of a biopolymer scaffold in the nanofabrication of low-dimensional arrays of gold nanoparticles. The room-temperature current-voltage dependence shows threshold behavior characteristic of Coulomb-blockade. Above threshold the current varies linearly with voltage which suggests one-dimensional behavior. Capacitance estimates are consistent with transport through a disordered chain containing a minimum of 200 nanoparticles.