Viral parts: Chemists convert virus into nanoscale tool

Unless they have a cold, most chemists give viruses little thought. That may change now that some researchers are decorating these microbes with a variety of molecules–making the germs into potential building blocks in electronic circuits and new materials, as well as tools in biomedical therapies.

In recent research, scientists used a virus with a diameter of 30 nanometers, an appropriate choice for eventually controlling the synthesis of materials on scales that have been difficult to master, says chemist M.G.