Barrier coated nano structures

The present invention relates to a device comprising a nano-structure and a corresponding method of manufacturing, wherein said nano- structure is made of electrically conductive material and wherein said nano- structure is covered by a barrier coating comprising Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ta, Mo, Sc, Y, Ge, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Sr, Al, B, Ba, Bi, and/or Mg oxide in a thickness of at least about 1 nm, wherein said barrier coating is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The present invention also relates to a method of detecting a target compound in such a device, the use of such a device for surface specifically creating an evanescent field, measuring the dielectric properties of a medium, detecting the presence or the concentration of a target compound, determining the primary structure of a target compound, determining a deviation of the target compound from a control value, amplifying a target compound, or monitoring the amplification of a target compound.