Kamenetska: Single molecule measurements across scales: from hbar to kT

Single molecule techniques have the potential to reveal structure-function relationships from the atomic to the macromolecular lengths scales, with applications ranging from molecular electronics to interface science to biology. My lab uses a range of approaches to probe both “hard” nanoscale structures like metal-molecule junctions and “soft” extended biological polymers in solution. In this talk, I will first describe my lab’s recent progress in forming and characterizing single molecule junctions with spinful, open-shell character, and show how destructive quantum interference effects modulate conductance in these systems. Next, I will briefly describe our single molecule measurements probing structural dynamics of folded nucleic acid tethers using optical tweezer (OT). Finally, if time allows, I will present an outlook for applying OT approaches for charge transport measurements through soft biological polymers on the single molecule level.