US Patent 8207449 - Non-metallic nanowire electronics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8207449.html

This patent from General Electric has priority going back to 2003 and teaches the in situ growth of non-metallic nanowires for applications as electronic sensors or nanoelectromechanical devices. Claim 1 reads:

1. An electronic device, said electronic device comprising:

a) at least one substrate;

b) a plurality of electrodes, wherein said plurality of electrodes are disposed on said substrate, and wherein said plurality of electrodes comprises a first electrode and a second electrode in electrical communication with each other via at least one non-metallic nanowire conductor extending from said first electrode to said second electrode, and wherein the at least one non-metallic nanowire grows from a portion of a catalyst disposed on an edge of the first electrode, and wherein the non-metallic nanowire comprises an oxide, a nitride, a boride, a carbide, or combinations thereof.