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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Use of Label-free Optical Biosensors to Detect Modulation of Potassium Channels by G-protein Coupled Receptors
Published on: February 10, 2014
Optical modulation of molecular conductance
Shreya Battacharyya1, Ashley Kibel, Gerdenis Kodis
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States.
Abstract:
A novel scanning probe microscope stage permits break junction measurements of single molecule conductance while the molecules are illuminated with visible light. We studied a porphyrin-fullerene dyad molecule designed to form a charge separated state on illumination. A significant fraction of illuminated molecules become more conductive, returning to a lower conductance in the dark, suggesting the formation of a long-lived charge separated state on the indium-tin oxide surface. Transient absorption spectra of these molecular layers are consistent with formation of a long-lived charge separated state, a finding with implications for the design of molecular photovoltaic devices.
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