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DNA Assembled Nano-Transistors

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the self-building-parts dept.

Bob Vila's Hammer writes "In an article at New Scientist, researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology have harnessed DNA to mold a nano-transister constructed of graphite nanotubes coated in silver and gold. The carbon nanotube assembly when completed is a fully working transistor when voltage is applied. The process is ingenious, using proteins from E. Coli bacterium to bind carbon nanotubes to certain sites on strands of DNA. Then graphite nanotubes coated with antibodies connect to the proteins. Finally, silver ions are added to the solution which chemically bond with the DNA site where the protein is attached. Further refinement of the technique is required before full scale production would be efficient, but this could allow the creation of elaborate self-assembling DNA sculptures and circuitry."

7 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Nothing New Here, Move Along by thelizman · · Score: 4, Informative

    This process was first performed at MIT by Angela Belcher. She was using engineered viruses that coated themselves with semiconductor materiel to produce nanoscale FET trasnsitors a billionth of a meter in size. You can read more in the November issue of IEEE Spectrum.

    1. Re:Nothing New Here, Move Along by popeyethesailor · · Score: 4, Informative

      I thought IEEE spectrum mentioned Dr.Belcher was close to building it. It didnt say there was actually a device built. The Newscientist article says they have actually realized this goal.

      I presume the article you are referring to is this

  2. E. Coli Safety by dollar70 · · Score: 5, Funny
    The process is ingenious, using proteins from E. Coli bacterium...

    Great... Now when the compter blows up, I'll get dysentery.

  3. The real worry here is... by keoghp · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will the new computers built of this material be more suceptable to virus attack!

    --
    For problems, seek only the simplest solution, complexity brings with it more problems.
  4. Future Virus's by Linus+Sixpack · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can just the future.

    "Humanity wiped out by terrible strain of life threatenning virus -- but it makes great video cards."

    Finally a use for the moon. A clean room.

    Could you imagine getting sick and having to sign an NDA and non contagion agreement?

  5. Just a couple of things ... by the+real+darkskye · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What is the life expectancy of the components? From the article it seems to me (disclaimer: IANAMolecularBiologistOrNanoEngineer) that the organic component is not required after the "wires" are in place but will the DNA auto-repair any damage to the wire?

    Couldn't a virus (biological, not computer) be used to re-write the DNA strand that is used to construct the devices, to make different components for sinister purposes?

    Is it paranoia if they really are out to get you?

    --
    Music is everybody's possession.
    It's only publishers who think that people own it.
    Fuck Beta
    ~John Lenno
  6. I'd just like to point out.. by Rostin · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Further refinement of the technique is required before full scale production would be efficient

    It seems like a lot of the "science with potentially awesome applications" posts that get made to /. include some sentence like this. I'm sortof patting myself on the back here when I say this, but hats off to the chemical engineers who actually do the work here. Chemical engineers are an important stepping stone between "oh, cool" and full-scale production, but hardly ever get a mention. In fact, most people have no idea what chemical engineers do, even though you probably scarcely have an item around you that doesn't owe its existence in part to chemical engineering.