Colloquium : The quest for high-conductance DNA

The DNA molecule, well known from biology for containing the genetic code of all living species, has recently caught the attention of chemists and physicists. A major reason for this interest is DNA's potential use in nanoelectronic devices, both as a template for assembling nanocircuits and as an element of such circuits. Without question, a truly conducting form of DNA would have a major impact on developments in nanotechnology. It has also been suggested that extended electronic states of DNA could play an important role in biology, e.g., through the processes of DNA damage sensing or repair or through long-range charge transfer. However, the electronic properties of DNA remain very controversial.…