Molecular Memory
But how the hell do I install it?!?
Single
molecule able to store data
A new approach to memory devices
stores ones and zeros on individual molecules. Fraser Stoddart and collaborators
at the University of California in Los Angeles have shown that individual
organic molecules called catenanes, held between carbon nanotubes and metal
electrodes, can be used to store data.
Each catenane molecule has
two linked rings that can rotate relative to each other depending on an applied
voltage. The nanotubes act as incredibly thin wires, and also bond chemically to
the catenanes. These memory elements can be very small - a gram of organic
molecules could, in principle, be enough to make all the memory for all the new
computers worldwide for several years.
Posted: Sat
- November 1, 2003 at 06:38 PM