CANBERRA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian and British chemists have created a molecule that could enable stamp-sized hard drives to store 100 times more data, marking a breakthrough in data storage technology.
Their findings mark a significant advance in the field of molecular magnets, with the new molecule capable of retaining magnetic memory at temperatures as high as 100 Kelvin -- about minus 173 degrees Celsius, comparable to the coldest lunar nights, according to a release on Thursday from the Australian National University (ANU), which jointly conducted the study with the University of Manchester.
This achievement surpasses the previous record of 80 Kelvin and brings the technology closer to practical use in large-scale data centers, where cooling to such temperatures is feasible, according to the study's co-lead author Professor Nicholas Chilton from the ANU Research School of Chemistry.
This single-molecule magnet stores data independently, enabling enough density to fit 40,000 CDs or 500,000 social media videos on a stamp-sized device, researchers said.
The breakthrough centers on a rare earth element, dysprosium, sandwiched between two nitrogen atoms in a near-perfect line and stabilized by an alkene group, an arrangement that significantly boosts magnetic performance, said the study published in Nature.
"While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin, or about minus 173 degrees Celsius, could be feasible in huge data centers," said the study's co-lead author Professor David Mills from the University of Manchester.
While the technology is not yet ready for use in consumer devices, its operation above the temperature of liquid nitrogen, which is 77 Kelvin, makes it a promising candidate for future data center applications, he said.
Chilton said advanced quantum simulations and supercomputing revealed the molecule's magnetic behavior, providing a blueprint for future molecular magnets. ■
