Complex microwave conductivity of Na-DNA powders

Abstract

We report the complex microwave conductivity, $σ=σ_1-iσ_2$, of Na-DNA powders, which was measured from 80 K to 300 K by using a microwave cavity perturbation technique. We found that the magnitude of $σ_1$ near room temperature was much larger than the contribution of the surrounding water molecules, and that the decrease of $σ_1$ with decreasing temperature was sufficiently stronger than that of the conduction of counterions. These results clearly suggest that the electrical conduction of Na-DNA is intrinsically semiconductive.

16 pages, 7 figures