DNA-based thermoelectric devices: A theoretical prospective

The thermoelectric performance of PolyG-PolyC and PolyA-PolyT double-stranded chains connected between organic contacts at different temperatures is theoretically studied on the basis of an effective model Hamiltonian. The obtained analytical expressions reveal the existence of important resonance effects leading to a significant enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient depending on the Fermi level position. High thermoelectric power factors, up to $P=(1.5\char21{}3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{W}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{m}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{K}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$, are obtained close to the resonance energy. These values suggest that significantly high values of the thermoelectric figure of merit may be attained for synthetic DNA samples at room temperature. The possibility of combining $p$-type and $n$-type synthetic DNA chains in the design of a nanoscale Peltier cell is discussed, taking into account both contact and environmental effects.