This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A material thinner than a human hair may foster faster computing devices that demand less energy and store more data, according to a multi-institutional team led by researchers in the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. In a study published in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers describe a novel material with complex magnetic properties that can improve the efficiency of electronics, said lead author Saeed S.
Almishal, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and a faculty member in the Materials Research Institute. For more than a decade, the research team has built on the 2015 introduction of advanced ceramic materials known as high-entropy oxides, or HEOs, pioneered by co-author Jon-Paul Maria, interim head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Dorothy Pate Enrich Professor of Materials Science and Engineering. The team created a fabrication method to generate the new film, which is itself an HEO.
"A new generation of advanced electronics will require more efficient control of the internal electrical and magnetic signals that make everyday devices work," Almishal said. "We developed this new material with distinct properties that can help engineers refine magnetic functions to drive greater device speeds with less power consumption." HEOs stand out for a distinct ability to unite several diverse elements at the atomic level in single crystalline structures. These oxides set the groundwork for a wide range of new materials useful in science, engineering and energy applications, Almishal explained.
For this latest advancement, Almishal and colleagues focused on chemical disorder within the perfectly ordered crystal structures, an intersection the group called "anomalous crystallinity"—a new scientific definition in the field. The team experimented with this crystallinity to form layered interfaces and generate a novel materials science phenomenon in magnetism. The phenomenon assembles disparate atoms to drive magnetic signals, which require less energy than electrical current to transmit and store data within electronic devices, Almishal said.
A combination of electrical current and magnetism enables electronic device function and data retention. Historically, magnetism has been central to how devices hold information. Elevating the role of magnetic signals can reduce device reliance on electrical current, improve data storage and reduce overall energy consumption, as Almishal noted.
Perfecting fabrication of the material—a thin film—took a decade, a process that he compared to crafting a paint and then applying it to a wall. The long effort in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee merged materials science and physics to create the layered interfaces inside the film. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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