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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.01560 |
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| _version_ | 1866911353324699648 |
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| author | Zeng, Biao-Feng Wang, Zian Yang, Yuxin Ma, Xufei Xu, Liang Shen, Yi Yi, Long Fang, Yizheng Tian, Ye Zheng, Zhenrong Cui, Yudong Cao, Ji Bai, Ge Ye, Weixiang Wang, Pan Kuang, Cuifang Edel, Joshua B. Ivanov, Aleksandar P. Liu, Xu Tang, Longhua |
| author_facet | Zeng, Biao-Feng Wang, Zian Yang, Yuxin Ma, Xufei Xu, Liang Shen, Yi Yi, Long Fang, Yizheng Tian, Ye Zheng, Zhenrong Cui, Yudong Cao, Ji Bai, Ge Ye, Weixiang Wang, Pan Kuang, Cuifang Edel, Joshua B. Ivanov, Aleksandar P. Liu, Xu Tang, Longhua |
| contents | Biological electron transfer (ET) relies on quantum mechanical tunnelling through a dynamically folded protein. Yet, the spatiotemporal coupling between structural fluctuations and electron flux remains poorly understood, largely due to limitations in existing experimental techniques, such as ensemble averaging and non-physiological operating conditions. Here, we introduce a quantum tunnelling-integrated optoplasmonic nanotrap (QTOP-trap), an optoelectronic platform that combines plasmonic optical trapping with real-time quantum tunnelling measurements. This label-free approach enables single-molecule resolution of protein conductance in physiological electrolytes, achieving sub-3 nm spatial precision and 10-μs temporal resolution. By synchronising optoelectronic measurements, QTOP-trap resolves protein-specific conductance signatures and directly correlates tertiary structure dynamics with conductance using a "protein switch" strategy. This methodology establishes a universal framework for dissecting non-equilibrium ET mechanisms in individual conformational-active proteins, with broad implications for bioenergetics research and biomimetic quantum device design. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_01560 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Quantum tunnelling-integrated optoplasmonic nanotrap enables conductance visualisation of individual proteins Zeng, Biao-Feng Wang, Zian Yang, Yuxin Ma, Xufei Xu, Liang Shen, Yi Yi, Long Fang, Yizheng Tian, Ye Zheng, Zhenrong Cui, Yudong Cao, Ji Bai, Ge Ye, Weixiang Wang, Pan Kuang, Cuifang Edel, Joshua B. Ivanov, Aleksandar P. Liu, Xu Tang, Longhua Biological Physics Biological electron transfer (ET) relies on quantum mechanical tunnelling through a dynamically folded protein. Yet, the spatiotemporal coupling between structural fluctuations and electron flux remains poorly understood, largely due to limitations in existing experimental techniques, such as ensemble averaging and non-physiological operating conditions. Here, we introduce a quantum tunnelling-integrated optoplasmonic nanotrap (QTOP-trap), an optoelectronic platform that combines plasmonic optical trapping with real-time quantum tunnelling measurements. This label-free approach enables single-molecule resolution of protein conductance in physiological electrolytes, achieving sub-3 nm spatial precision and 10-μs temporal resolution. By synchronising optoelectronic measurements, QTOP-trap resolves protein-specific conductance signatures and directly correlates tertiary structure dynamics with conductance using a "protein switch" strategy. This methodology establishes a universal framework for dissecting non-equilibrium ET mechanisms in individual conformational-active proteins, with broad implications for bioenergetics research and biomimetic quantum device design. |
| title | Quantum tunnelling-integrated optoplasmonic nanotrap enables conductance visualisation of individual proteins |
| topic | Biological Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.01560 |