Optical, electro-optic and optoelectronic properties of natural and chemically modified DNAs

Abstract

This article reviews recent findings on the optical, electro-optic and optoelectronic properties of natural and modified DNAs. When the sodium (Na+) ions of DNA are replaced with long alkyl quaternary ammonium (Q(+)) ions, the resulting compositions (Q(+)DNA(-)) are organic-soluble, and thin films produced using these materials reveal many interesting optical and optoelectronic properties. These films tend to form well-structured supramolecular assemblies. In contrast, natural DNAs are water-soluble and hygroscopic. DNAs are strong absorbers of UV wavelengths in the region of 260 nm. The Q(+)DNA(-) films are excellent dielectrics that can be utilized as insulating layers in organic thin film transistors. Chemical modification of the Q(+) parts results in many interesting structures that can be used in a wide variety of optical and optoelectronic devices. This review specifically deals with the optical and fluorescence properties of, organic lasing composites, the nonlinear optical characteristics of, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic cells based on natural and modified DNAs. Polymer Journal (2012) 44, 1191-1208; doi:10.1038/pj.2012.165; published online 17 October 2012