Access

News and Views

Nature 454, 708-709 (7 August 2008) | doi:10.1038/454708a; Published online 6 August 2008

Nanotechnology: Diamonds are for tethers

Robert J. Hamers1

Top

Modified diamond nanowires produce an electrical response on binding to DNA. This gem of a discovery could pave the way to robust biosensors that use electrical signals to detect molecules.

Diamonds may well be a girl's best friend. But some people prefer to sing the praises of their extreme chemical stability, mechanical robustness and tunable electronic properties.

  1. Robert J. Hamers is in the Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA.
    Email: rjhamers@wisc.edu