Nanowires that could be plugged into conventional computer circuits have been developed by Charles Lieber and colleagues at Harvard University.

The nanowires were made highly conductive by blending silicon and nickel together.

The researchers have also shown that the method can be used to create simple nanoscale electronic components, e.g., field-effect transistors. “By extending our approach to crossed nanowires it should become possible to assemble large and dense arrays … of transistors and other devices that could enable hybrid integrated circuits,” the team writes in Nature.