When compressed, an eager layered material can hold the key to creating a more energy-efficient computer memory. Researchers at Washington State University have found that unique semiconductors undergo significant structural changes under pressure, potentially paving the way for faster, lasting data storage.
This study published in AIP Advances shows that hybrid materials made from zinc urea and an organic molecule called ethylenediamine undergo significant structural transformation at relatively low pressures, which may make it ideal for next-generation data technologies.
“Being able to perform these high-pressure experiments on campus gives us the flexibility to dig out what is happening,” said Matt McCluskey, a WSU physics professor and research fellow. “We found that the material not only compresses, but actually changes its internal structure significantly.”
The material is technically called β-Znte(EN)₀.₅, and has a unique sandwich structure with alternating layers of zinc titanium titanium and ethylenediamine. When the researchers applied pressure using a diamond anvil and observed the results using a specialized X-ray system, they witnessed something surprising: The material performed two different phase transitions at unusually low pressures (2.1 and 3.3 gigapascals).
During these transitions, the structure of the material is re-arranged sharply, with the thickness in one direction being reduced by up to 8%. Such conversions are important because they have the potential to be used to encode digital information in phase-change memory – a faster and more durable data storage than traditional memory, while requiring less power.
“Most of these materials require a huge change in structural pressure, but this material starts to shift in one tenth of the pressure we usually see in pure zinc urine,” said Julie Miller, a physics doctoral student at WSU. “That’s what makes this material so interesting – at lower pressures, it shows a big impact.”
Phase change memory works by switching materials between different structural states with different electrical properties. While today’s computers mainly use memory that requires constant power to maintain data, the phase-changed memory can retain information even when power is turned off, potentially saving a lot of energy in future computing devices.
Another promising aspect of the material is its directional sensitivity – it reacts differently depending on the way it is extruded. This property, coupled with the fact that the UV rays it emits may change with phase, also opens up possibilities for applications in optical fiber and optical computing.
The $1 million X-ray diffraction system acquired in 2022 makes these discoveries possible, with support from the Murdock Charitable Trust in 2022. The equipment enables the team to observe structural changes in the material in real time without having to travel to major national research facilities.
“We’re just starting to understand what these mixed materials can do,” Miller added. “The fact that we can observe these changes on the equipment on campus makes it even more exciting.”
While commercial applications are still years away, the research team is already planning the next step – studying how materials respond to temperature changes and exploring what happens when pressure and heat are applied simultaneously.
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