“…Researchers from Hewlett-Packard Laboratories and [sic] have grown nanowires between electrodes that were made using common patterning techniques. Because the nanowires grow and connect automatically, the method promises to provide a relatively inexpensive way to mass-produce nanoelectronics.

The method could be used to make hand-held devices that can sense very small amounts of chemicals. The nanowire arrays create a large surface area for contacting target substances like toxic chemicals or pathogens. The method could also eventually be used to make interconnecting leads between nanowires and also devices like transistors within nanowires, according to the researchers.”