It consisted of 30 G-C pairs, resulting in a tiny wire 2 nanometers in diameter. Semi-conductors are important in the electronics industry. Depending on the way you produce this kind of material, semi-conductors can be as conductive or as insulating as you want. Cutting the Wire To make really sure that it was actually the DNA that caused the semi-conducting effects, the team carried out a control test. Simon de Vries used special enzymes for this.
Enzymes are proteins that carry out specific chemical reactions in the body.
We used enzymes that very specifically recognize DNA and cut it into two halves. We added the enzyme to the DNA while it was conducting the current and the electricity flow stopped. It opens up a route towards semi-conducting material based on a single molecule. Since the 1970's people have been looking for materials to replace silicon in the computing industry. They want to make smaller and smaller chips, even as small as molecules, but this isn't possible with silicon.