Self-assembled peptide monolayers on interdigitated gold microelectrodes

The electron conductivity and photocurrent generation properties of a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed by a helical hexapeptide chemisorbed on an interdigitated gold microelectrode have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and photo-electrochemical experiments. Cyclic voltammetry measurements show that the peptide forms a densely packed self-assembled monolayer on the gold surface. Peculiar photocurrent/voltage responses have been obtained for the modified electrode, indicating that a photoinduced electron transfer from excited tryptophan to gold significantly contributes to the conductive properties of the peptide SAM.