Carbon nanotubes and nanobelts as potential materials for biosensor

Abstract

We investigate the electronic response of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and a carbon nanobelt (CNB) to N-linked and O-linked SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins, using ab initio quantum mechanical approach. The CNTs are selected from three zigzag, armchair, and chiral groups. We examine the effect of carbon nanotube (CNT) chirality on the interaction between CNTs and glycoproteins. Results indicate that the chiral semiconductor CNTs clearly response to the presence of the glycoproteins by changing the electronic band gaps and electron density of states (DOS). Since the changes in the CNTs band gaps in the presence of N-linked are about two times larger than the changes in the presence of the O-linked glycoprotein, chiral CNT may distinguish different types of the glycoproteins. The same results are obtained from CNBs. Thereby, we predict CNBs and chiral CNTs have suitable potential in sequential analysis of N- and O-linked glycosylation of the spike protein.