
Manchester chemists create molecular magnet that could boost data storage by 100 times
Scientists at The University of Manchester have designed a molecule that can remember magnetic information at the highest temperature ever recorded for this kind of material.
In a boon for the future of data storage technologies, the researchers have made a new single-molecule magnet that retains its magnetic memory up to 100 Kelvin (-173 掳C) 青瓜视频 around the temperature of the Moon at night.
The finding, published in the journal , is a significant advance on the previous record of 80 Kelvin (-193 掳C). While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin could be feasible in huge data centres, such as those used by Google.
If perfected, these single-molecule magnets could pack vast amounts of information into incredibly small spaces 青瓜视频 possibly more than three terabytes of data per square centimetre. That青瓜视频檚 around half a million TikTok videos squeezed into a hard drive that青瓜视频檚 the size of a postage stamp.
The research was led by The University of Manchester, with computational modelling led by the Australian National University (ANU).
青瓜视频淭he results are an exciting prospect for the use of single-molecule magnets in data storage media that is 100 times more dense than the absolute limit of current technologies.青瓜视频
David Mills, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at The University of Manchester, said: 青瓜视频淭his research showcases the power of chemists to deliberately design and build molecules with targeted properties. The results are an exciting prospect for the use of single-molecule magnets in data storage media that is 100 times more dense than the absolute limit of current technologies.
青瓜视频淎lthough the new magnet still needs cooling far below room temperature, it is now well above the temperature of liquid nitrogen (77 Kelvin), which is a readily available coolant. So, while we won青瓜视频檛 be seeing this type of data storage in our mobile phones for a while, it does make storing information in huge data centres more feasible.青瓜视频
Magnetic materials have long played an important role in data storage technologies. Currently, hard drives store data by magnetising tiny regions made up of many atoms all working together to retain memory. Single-molecule magnets can store information individually and don青瓜视频檛 need help from any neighbouring atoms to retain their memory, offering the potential for incredibly high data density. But, until now, the challenge has always been the incredibly cold temperatures needed in order for them to function.
The key to the new magnets青瓜视频 success is its unique structure, with the element dysprosium located between two nitrogen atoms. These three atoms are arranged almost in a straight line 青瓜视频 a configuration predicted to boost magnetic performance but realised now for the first time.
Usually, when dysprosium is bonded to only two nitrogen atoms it tends to form molecules with more bent or irregular shapes. In the new molecule, the researchers added a chemical group called an alkene that acts like a molecular pin, binding to dysprosium to hold the structure in place.
The team at the Australian National University developed a new theoretical model to simulate the molecule青瓜视频檚 magnetic behaviour to allow them to explain why this particular molecular magnet performs so well compared to previous designs.
Now, the researchers will use these results as a blueprint to guide the design of even better molecular magnets.