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Stamp-Sized Drive Will Hold More TikTok Videos Than You Can Watch in a Year
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The creation of a new magnetic molecule could pave the way to build new, stamp-sized hard drives capable of holding the equivalent of 500,000 TikTok videos.
This 100-fold improvement in data storage is the tantalizing promise of a study by chemists from the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Manchester, England.
The magnetic storage technology used in current hard disk drives record information by magnetizing tiny regions, each made up of many atoms, all working in concert to preserve "bits" (binary digits) of data—either a "0" or a "1."
In contrast, single-molecule magnets can store information all on their own, without the help of their neighbors.
"If perfected, these molecules could pack large amounts of information into tiny spaces," said paper author and chemist Professor Nicholas Chilton of ANU in a statement.
"This new molecule could lead to new technologies that could store about three terabytes of data per square centimeter.
"That's equivalent to around 40,000 CD copies of [Pink Floyd's] The Dark Side of the Moon album squeezed into a hard drive the size of a postage stamp—or around half a million TikTok videos."
According to the researchers, the magnetic molecules' storage ability stems from their unique structure, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen atoms, all in a line.
This configuration, the researchers say, has long been predicted to enhance magnetic performance, but this is the first time that such has been made a reality, as dysprosium normally forms angular bonds with nitrogen.
To get around this, the chemists added a "molecular pin" to the dysprosium that helps hold the molecule in the right structure.
A model of the new single-magnet molecule, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen molecules.
A model of the new single-magnet molecule, which features an atom of the rare earth element dysprosium sandwiched between two nitrogen molecules.
Jamie Kidston / ANU
There is a small catch to the whole new data storage concept, however—the magnetic molecule needs to be chilled to -279 degrees Fahrenheit (-173 degrees Celsius) to retain its memory, which is about as cold as an evening on the dark side of the moon.
"We won't be seeing this type of data storage in our mobile phones for a while," cautions paper author and University of Manchester chemist Professor David Mills in a statement.
However, this is still a significant improvement on the previous record for a single-molecule magnet, which worked only up to -315 degrees Fahrenheit (-193 degrees Celsius).
"While still a long way from working in a standard freezer, or at room temperature, data storage at 100 Kelvin, or about -173 degrees Celsius, could be feasible in huge data centers, such as those used by Google," Mills added.
He said: "Although the new magnet still needs cooling far below room temperature, it is now well above the temperature of liquid nitrogen—a readily available coolant—which is 77 Kelvin, or around -196 degrees Celsius."
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Reference
Emerson-King, J., Gransbury, G. K., Atkinson, B. E., Blackmore, W. J. A., Whitehead, G. F. S., Chilton, N. F., & Mills, D. P. (2025). Soft magnetic hysteresis in a dysprosium amide—alkene complex up to 100 kelvin. Nature.
