Spin-dependent electron transmission through bacteriorhodopsin embedded in purple membrane.

Mishra, Debabrata; Markus, Tal Z; Naaman, Ron; Kettner, Matthias; Göhler, Benjamin; Zacharias, Helmut; Friedman, Noga; Sheves, Mordechai et al. · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · 2013

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Spin-dependent photoelectron transmission and spin-dependent electrochemical studies were conducted on purple membrane containing bacteriorhodopsin (bR) deposited on gold, aluminum/aluminum-oxide, and nickel substrates. The result indicates spin selectivity in electron transmission through the membrane. Although the chiral bR occupies only about 10% of the volume of the membrane, the spin polarization found is on the order of 15%. The electrochemical studies indicate a strong dependence of the conduction on the protein's structure. Denaturation of the protein causes a sharp drop in the conduction through the membrane.

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