Scientist have created a transistor by coating a 30-nanometre-long chunks of tobacco mosaic virus with platinum nanoparticles.
The team built a transistor by embedding the coated virus strips in a polymer matrix, sandwiched between two electrodes much like a standard transistor. Apply a voltage to the transistor, and the platinum nanoparticles – roughly 16 per virus – each donate an electron to proteins on the surface of the virus, moving the device to an ON state.
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10228-happy-snaps-from-a-virusinfested-chip.html
The team built a transistor by embedding the coated virus strips in a polymer matrix, sandwiched between two electrodes much like a standard transistor. Apply a voltage to the transistor, and the platinum nanoparticles – roughly 16 per virus – each donate an electron to proteins on the surface of the virus, moving the device to an ON state.
http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn10228-happy-snaps-from-a-virusinfested-chip.html