New chemistry on old CDs

Old compact discs (CDs) have been found to be useful for modern chemical research. Their metal reflective film is suitable for the preparation of high-quality self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and for electrochemical analysis; pre-grooved polycarbonate base is ideal for the customized fabrication of material micro/nanostructures; and the immobilization of biomolecules on CDs, in conjunction with a conventional CD drive, promises to be an inexpensive tool for point-of-care biomedical diagnosis and gene analysis.