British scientists from the University of Lancaster managed to open a “molecular” switch that can act as a transistor and has the potential to store binary information, for example, the units and zeros used in classical calculations. The size of one molecule is about five square nanometers. This means that more than one billion of these molecules can fit in a layer as thick as human hair.
The authors of the “breakthrough” study are confident that such molecules can provide information storage density of 250 terabits per square inch. This figure is approximately 100 times higher than the characteristics of modern hard drives. Although scientists do not expect that these molecules will be used in industry, their discovery may bring us closer to the brave new world of molecular electronics.
The experiment showed that the molecules of the organic salt can be “switched” using a weak electric signal, making them either bright or dark. Thus, information can be represented as binary code. It is important to note that data can be recorded, read and deleted at room temperature and at normal air pressure. These are important characteristics for the practical application of molecules in computing devices. Most of the previous experiments in the field of molecular electronics for a similar application were carried out in vacuum and at very low temperatures.
“There is a whole list of properties that a molecule must possess in order to be used as molecular memory. In addition to switching in both directions under environmental conditions, it must be stable for a long time in the light and dark state, and also spontaneously form highly ordered layers with a thickness of only one molecule in a process called self-assembly. Our experience shows the presence of all these functions in one molecule, ”Dr. Phys. Stein Mertens from the University of Lancaster quotes Phys.org.
Image of “Intelligent Molecular Switches” seen with a scanning tunneling microscope. Each bright square is one switch.
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To switch the molecules from light to dark, small electric pulses were used in a scanning tunneling microscope. They helped to read and erase information with the click of a button.
As noted in the article, during the “switching”, an electrical impulse changes the way the cation and anion are combined in the molecules of the organic salt. This makes the molecule appear light or dark. In addition to “switching”, spontaneous ordering of molecules occurs. They line up in a two-dimensional crystal, which eliminates the additional expensive processing of the structure, as is the case in modern electronics.
“Since chemistry allows us to create molecules with complex functions in huge quantities and with atomic precision, molecular electronics can have a very bright future,” said Dr. Mertens.
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