Molecular assembly of redox-conductive ferrocene-streptavidin conjugates--towards bio-electrochemical devices

Peptidic spacers, 0.4 and 2 nm in length, were used to couple ferrocene moieties to streptavidin. The resulting conjugates were immobilised on electrode surfaces using biotin binding. The electron transfer through multilayers of the conjugates is strongly dependent on the length of the spacer between the protein and the attached ferrocene. A monolayer of the long-linker conjugate immobilised on interdigitated microelectrode arrays was found to electrochemically bridge the 2 microm wide non-conductive gap between the electrodes. The redox current through the layer is dependent on external parameters such as the applied voltage difference between the two electrode arrays or the temperature. The long-range electrochemical conductivity in combination with the biotin binding capability is a prerequisite for the application of the conjugates in future bio-electrochemical devices.