Polarization component of cohesion energy in single-wall carbon nanotube-DNA complexes

Within the framework of a quantum mechanical model, the polarization component of the energy of cohesion of an ionized DNA molecule to the surface of a nanotube has been calculated. Neglecting the polarization of the DNA, and in the absence of external screening, the binding energy is similar to 0.47 eV per elementary charge. The effective nanotube screening parameter is similar to 2 and cannot be reduced to classical expressions for metallic and dielectric screening.