The present invention pertains to a method for the production of nanowires using nucleic acids as a scaffold. The method applies a film of metal-DNA complexes on a solid support. Harnessing capillary forces of the coffee-ring effect, scratching off the nucleic acid metal nanoparticle film induces the accumulation of the nanoparticles at the edges of the cut and thereby produces micro- to nanoscale metal wires. In additional embodiments the invention uses enzymatic hydrolysis to remove the nucleic acids and to obtain the final metal nanowire. The invention provides further chips comprises an electric circuitry produced with the inventive method.