Chemistry-based+computers

Chemists from Israel and China have developed a functionalised electrode that acts as a memory element for encoding and processing information. Itamar Willner at the University of Jerusalem and colleagues created an on/off switch by modifying a gold electrode with an organic monolayer that responds to electrochemical and photochemical stimuli. An on/off system of elements is the basis of standard electronic computers. For chemical-based approaches to have any practical utility, they must be integrated with systems that enable the read-out of the stored data.