Journal article 1242 views
On the origin of electrical conductivity in the bio-electronic material melanin
Applied Physics Letters, Volume: 100, Issue: 9, Start page: 093701
Swansea University Authors: Paul Meredith , Bernard Mostert
Full text not available from this repository: check for access using links below.
DOI (Published version): 10.1063/1.3688491
Abstract
The skin pigment melanin is one of a few bio-macromolecules that display electrical and photo-conductivity in the solid-state. A model for melanin charge transport based on amorphous semiconductivity has been widely accepted for 40 years. In this letter, we show that a central pillar in support of t...
Published in: | Applied Physics Letters |
---|---|
ISSN: | 0003-6951 1077-3118 |
Published: |
2012
|
Online Access: |
Check full text
|
URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa38487 |
Abstract: |
The skin pigment melanin is one of a few bio-macromolecules that display electrical and photo-conductivity in the solid-state. A model for melanin charge transport based on amorphous semiconductivity has been widely accepted for 40 years. In this letter, we show that a central pillar in support of this hypothesis, namely experimental agreement with a hydrated dielectric model, is an artefact related to measurement geometry and non-equilibrium behaviour. Our results cast significant doubt on the validity of the amorphous semiconductor model and are a reminder of the difficulties of electrical measurements on low conductivity, disordered organic materials. |
---|---|
Keywords: |
Water heating, bioelectrochemistry, Semiconductor device modeling, Adsorption, Electric measurements |
College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
Issue: |
9 |
Start Page: |
093701 |