Ferroelectric

Materials

Researchers predict, then prove strange solid-state heat switches

Ohio State researchers have shown how a common ceramic material can change its thermal conductivity in response to an electrical field, opening the door to solid-state heat switches that could make thermoelectric generators much more efficient.

Using a ferroelectret nanogenerator (FENG), the researchers turned the flag on the right into a speaker

Electronics

Paper-thin device turns a flag into a speaker

Back in December, researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) demonstrated their ferroelectret nanogenerator (FENG), a paper-thin device that can generate energy from motion. Now, they’ve added a new trick to FENG’s repertoire, turning it into a thin, flexible microphone and loudspeaker.

A Scanning Nonlinear Dielectric MicroscopeInset left: shows topography and electric dipole-momentInset right: Example of a ferroelectric information storage

Computers

New record set for ferroelectric data storage

Researchers report achieveing a data density of 4 trillion bits per square inch, a world record for experimental ferroelectric data storage

A film of strontium titanate and the single crystal of silicon on which it was madePic credit: Jeremy Levy, University of Pittsburgh

Science

Putting the squeeze on crystals could see an end to computer boot stages

Waiting for your computer to boot up could soon be a thing of the past thanks to a materials science technique that may allow a new class of electronic devices that remember their last state, even after power is turned off.

Computers

Nanotechnology promises massive data storage on a single disk

A breakthrough invention and patent in nanotechnology will keep data storage technology in touch with its ever-increasing requirements of mass data storage well