Protein switches incorporating cytochrome c, cytochrome c

3 A biomolecular electronic switch includes a first electrical contact, a second electrical contact, a programmable monolayer of either cytochrome c or cytochrome cor bovine serum hormone sandwiched between the first and second electrical contacts and a substrate. These switches have high current-carrying capacities and are very fast. It appears that these protein materials can be either metals or semiconductors. Because of the high conductivity and tiny size, these globular proteins can be used to develop cost-effective, miniaturized FEDs, molecular diodes and rectifiers for nanocomputer chips.