Haitao Liu won a $500,000 grant to explore using DNA to create computer memory

The silicon age may have an expiration date. A new $500,000 grant co-led by University of Pittsburgh Professor of Chemistry Haitao Liu in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences will explore using DNA to manufacture the necessary components for computer chips on hyper-thin materials.

While silicon forms the basis for current computer chips, components using the material can only shrink so small. Liu’s research — along with his colleagues at three other institutions — will make use of DNA as a template to create the necessary components for computer memory on materials like graphene, which are only a single molecule thick.