Recent Advances in Understanding the Electron Transport Through Metal-Azurin-Metal Junctions

Azurin proteins are the workhorse of protein electronics. This is a branch biomolecular electronics, recent research field which investigates electronics based on biomolecules such as proteins, peptides, amino acids, bacterial nanowires or DNA. In general, possibility including biosystems in solid-state junctions has opened way to development novel electrical devices, and have attracted enormous attention thanks their many interesting properties. particular case metal-azurin-metal junctions, experimental measurements revealed extremely efficient electron transport over large distances, showing conductance values higher than certain conjugated molecules similar lengths. Moreover, current often been found be temperature-independent, used an evidence coherent quantum tunneling. Interesting effects observed, moreover, upon insertion single amino-acid mutations. spite huge amount work, exact mechanism for charge flow through these systems still under debate. this review, we will revise advances made electron-transport azurin-based well corresponding theoretical modelling. We discuss interpretation currently-available results open issues remain clarified.