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Our data of tomorrow on a molecule ?
In computing, the demands of society in terms of data storage capacity are growing exponentially and are the reason for the development of nanosciences : storing more and more in the smallest volume possible and as quickly as possible. To further miniaturize devices and thus giving more freedom to users, many chemists are synthesising new switchable materials, which can switch from one state (OFF = 0) to another (ON = 1) under the effect of an external impulse (change in temperature or pressure, light, magnetic or electric pulse), and memorise the state they are in. The chemists are thus hoping to succeed in storing information on just a few atoms.
In the family of Prussian blue, researchers from Bordeaux and the United States have synthesised and studied a small molecule (1.8nm) capable of switching : non magnetic at the outset, it becomes magnetic under the influence of light and returns to its initial state through heating. This compound therefore perfectly satisfies the storage function of the conventional components of our hard drives between two magnetic and optical states that can be encoded "0" and "1".
These results illustrate the ability of chemistry to design, at a scale of a few atoms, new molecules for the storage of data in tomorrow’s computers, and thus open new perspectives for the miniaturisation of computer memories.
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