Electrostatic scanningforce microscopy images of long molecules: single-walled carbonnanotubes and DNA

Abstract

Experimental measurements of the electrostaticproperties of long molecules are presented in this work. It isshown that, in the case of carbon nanotubes, the electrostaticforce between the scanning force microscopy tip and the sample enhances the network of nanotubes electrically connected to ametal electrode. On λ-DNA molecules the same kind ofexperiments result in essentially no measurable electrostaticforce due to the molecules. From this we conclude that λ-DNA has a negligible electronic conductivity.