Guest: Ersin Emre Ören, TOBB ETU

Title:  Computational Bionanodesign & Molecular Electronics (BIO, CS, EE, MAT)

Date/Time: November 6, 2024, 13:40

Location: https://sabanciuniv.zoom.us/j/95421184581, Meeting ID: 954 2118 4581

Abstract: The realization of nanoscale devices largely depends on our ability to control and manipulate both the molecular interactions and charge transport within and among molecules. The field of molecular electronics uses molecules as electronic components and has intriguing applications in a variety of fields, including storage devices, logic circuits, optoelectronics, and biosensors. Molecular electronics offer various fundamental advantages. First, the size of molecules used is in the realm of nanometers, and thus the device packing densities can be increased with lower cost, high efficiency, and low power dissipation. Second, one can use specific intermolecular interactions to form desired geometries via self-assembly in a bottom-up fashion. Therefore, various organic and inorganic molecules have been the subject of extensive research to engineer novel electronic components. For more than two decades, DNA/RNA has been at the forefront of molecular electronics research. Facilitated by the advance of synthetic biology, designer DNA with predetermined sequences can be readily synthesized for various applications (e.g., biosensors, single molecule transistors, DNA origami, DNA nanopores and DNA storage) in the emerging field of molecular electronics. However, the lack of control of charge transport significantly limits its application in nanoelectronics. In this talk, we describe how novel peptides and/or oligonucleotides can be designed with specific charge transport properties using novel computational/engineering approaches and give examples of their potential utilizations in technology and medicine.

Related Publications

• Z. Aminiranjbar, C. Akin Gultakti, M. N. Alangari, Y. Wang, B. Demir, Z. Koker, A. K. Das, M. P. Anantram, E.E. Oren & J. Hihath. “Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using Single-Molecule Conductance Measurements” ACS Sensors, 9, 2888-2896 (2024).

• B. Demir, C. Akin Gultaktı, Z. Koker, M. P. Anantram & E.E. Oren. “Electronic Properties of DNA Origami Nanostructures Revealed by in silico Calculations” ACS J. Phys. Chem. B, 128, 4646-4654 (2024).

• B. Liu, B. Demir, C. Akin Gultaktı, J. Marrs, Y. Gong, R. Li, E.E. Oren & J. Hihath. “Self-aligning nanojunctions for integrated single-molecule circuits” ACS Nano, 18, 4972 (2024). Cover

• L. Luo, S. Manda, Y. Park, B. Demir, J. Sanchez, M. P. Anantram, E.E. Oren, A. Gopinath & M. Rolandi. “DNA nanopores as artificial membrane channels for bioprotonics” Nature Communications, 14, 5364 (2023).

• B. Demir, H. Mohammad, M. P. Anantram & E.E. Oren. “DNA - Au (111) interactions and transverse charge transport properties for DNA - based electronic devices” Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 25, 16570-16577 (2023).

• H. Mohammad, B. Demir, C. Akin, B. Luan, J. Hihath, E.E. Oren & M.P. Anantram "Role of intercalation in the electrical properties of nucleic acids for use in molecular electronics" Nanoscale Horizons, 6 (8), 651-660 (2021). Cover

• Y. Li, J.M. Artés, B. Demir, S. Gokce, H.M. Mohammad, M. Alangari, M.P. Anantram, E.E. Oren & J. Hihath “Detection and identification of genetic material via single-molecule conductance” Nature Nanotechnology, 13, 1167-1173 (2018).

Bio: Dr. Oren received his Ph. D. in Materials Science from the Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2003. After graduation, he joined the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of University of Washington-Seattle as a postdoctoral researcher. He continued his work jointly in the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as an instructor. In 2011, Dr. Oren joined the TOBB University of Economics and Technology and took part in the establishment of both the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Nanotechnology Engineering. Since then, he has been working as a faculty in those departments and is now serving as the vice Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Dr. Oren’s specific research areas include computational bionanotechnology, molecular electronic, organic/inorganic interfaces, protein/peptide/DNA/RNA/PNA structure prediction and design, surface/interface instabilities, and simulation of thin film growth and development of quantum dot systems. Dr. Oren received TÜBA GEBİP Outstanding Young Scientist Award (2012) from the Turkish Academy of Sciences and the Research Incentive Award (2012) from METU Prof. Dr. Mustafa N. Parlar Education & Research Foundation. He has been serving as a member of the IEEE Nanotechnology Council Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee (TC 10) since 2020.